System and method for generating voice pages with included audio files for use in a voice page delivery system

ABSTRACT

A content provider system for enabling content providers to create voice pages with audio files included for use in a network for voice page delivery through which subscribers request a voice page and a voice page server system delivers the voice page audibly to the subscriber. A content provider selects a voice page into which the audio file is to be incorporated, selects the audio file and the content provider system then transfers the audio file to a voice page server system which generates a voice page with the audio file included using XML-based tags designated for audio files. The audio files are uploaded from a number of user devices including a telephony device, a web-based system and a PDA.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/480,994 entitled “Voice Network Access Provider System and Method,”filed Jan. 11, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,086 which claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/150,354 and 60/150,602filed on Aug. 24, 1999 and Aug. 26, 1999, respectively, both having thetitle “Voice Network Access Provider System and Method.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a content provider system for enabling contentproviders to create voice pages with audio files included for use in anetwork for voice page delivery through which subscribers request avoice page and a voice page server system delivers the voice pageaudibly to the subscriber. The invention further relates to a systemwherein a content provider selects a voice page into which the audiofile is to be incorporated, selects the audio file and the contentprovider system then transfers the audio file to a voice page serversystem which generates a voice page with the audio file included usingXML-based tags designated for audio files.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Information is most useful when it is delivered to the right person atthe right time. Delivery of the right information to the right personhas been a problem that many businesses have attempted to solve over theyears. Indeed, an entire industry of decision support technology existsto deliver information to members of a business based on massive amountsof data collected about the businesses. The World Wide Web and theInternet have provided an avenue for information delivery, but currentWeb-based systems still fail to adequately deliver the right informationat the right time. One of the major problems with the World Wide Web isthe requirement to utilize a computer and web-browser to access itscontents. Although penetration of computers throughout the world hasincreased, that penetration is far from making information readilyavailable to everyone wherever they happen to be.

Moreover, most computer users connect to the Web through a land line.Most users therefore do not have access to Web content when they areaway from a land line. Although technology is being developed to enableWorld Wide Web access through other mediums, such as web-enabledpersonal digital assistants, for example, such technology require usersto purchase new equipment to access this technology. Given the sparsepenetration of personal digital assistants already, this technology doesnot satisfy the need for delivery of timely information.

Therefore, existing systems do not provide a readily available mediumfor delivery of the right information at the right time or a system fordelivering that information. These and other drawbacks exist withcurrent systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to various enhancements, improvements andelaboration on the embodiments described in the parent applications. Toprovide a framework for discussing the inventions described herein, thefollowing terms should be understood as described:

-   -   VPage—a VPage should be understood as a voice page that has        content and structure to enable delivery through automated        systems to human recipients. The VPage may comprise a particular        “page” of content that can be delivered to a user via phone or        other delivery device, preferably to enable the user to hear the        content.    -   VCode—a VCode should be understood as a data string that        references a single VPage unambiguously.    -   VBook—a VBook should be understood as a collection of one or        more VPages.    -   VSite—a VSite should be understood as a VSite (e.g., a voice        site) that has an address within a network of VPages and that        contains at least one VPage.    -   Speech Link—a speech link should be understood as a reference        within a VPage to other content in a voice network that may be        activated when a user speaks an associated keyword.    -   VName—a VName should be understood as a keyword, phrase, or        other speakable name associated with a VPage.

The improvements described herein include an improved content creationtool for enabling simpler creation of VPages, a voice pad functionalityfor storing and organizing voice recordings, call transfer from a VPageto a voice recording system, a financial transaction processing systemfor use in completing telephone-based transactions through VPages, asystem for enabling content providers to record audio in place oftext-to-speech for VPages in the system, use of speech links throughgrammar modification to enable voice-based option selection, provisionof a directory of VPages to enable subscribers to access VPages, a filetransfer module that enables automatic delivery of electronic files, anda sound file upload module that enables content providers to uploadsound files for inclusion in VPages.

In particular, one aspect of the invention relates to a VPage contentcreation tool that enables users to create, modify, edit and updateVPages that are then stored and made available to users of a VPagedelivery system. As described in detail below, VPages may be madeavailable in a VPage delivery system through one or more methods,including association of the VPage to a VCode. A VCode may be understoodto be a code that is assigned to the VPage or collection of VPages. Auser may access the content corresponding to the VCode by entering theVCode through an interactive communications device, such as a wirelessor wireline telephone. Also, VCodes may be input through verbaldescriptions which are then associated with the desired VCode andcorresponding pages or pages of content. A voice-to-text, naturallanguage engine, and/or best fit correspondence engine may be used tointerpret verbal descriptions to determine which VCode and correspondingpage of content to present to the user. Other methods of accessingVPages are described below.

The present invention provides a content creation functionality toenable users to create content in pages to form VPages, provide linksbetween VPages, upload and store files within the pages, and performmany other VPage related tasks.

In one embodiment, participants in the system may be permitted to createvoice content to be presented in VPages through a VPage creation modulethat provides a user interface through which VPages may be created. Thatmodule may be accessible over the Internet (World Wide Web) or over atelephone network. The voice content that a user may create may comprisestructured VPages including audio, dialogs, menus, and links and may bestored in a variety of formats as well. The voice content may be storedas a XML-based voice file (e.g. TML or Voice XML), that references soundand text files. In this embodiment, participation is made easier byenabling users to call a VPage creation module via a telephone or loginto a VPage creation module via the Internet and through a series ofmenus, create a VPage.

In the web-based module, a content provider is provided an interfacethrough which the content provider may access and create content for allpages, sites and related links stored for that content provider. Anentry interface view may present an overview of all views within thecontent creation interface to aid the content provider in navigationwithin the functions provided. The interface may then present a domainselection option to enable the content provider to select the domain towhich the VPage to be create, edited or modified belongs and then adomain overview view is presented. Within that view, the contentprovider is able to select an existing VPage to edit or modify or selectto create a new VPage. Within a VPage, the user can add or edit text,incorporate telephone-recorded content, upload sound files, add ormodify links to other VPages, create question dialogs and messagedialogs that enable listeners of the VPage to provide information fortransactions, subscriptions, etc.

A telephony-based module is provided that enables a content providerconnecting over a telephony or other voice-providing system to recordaudio (e.g., voice, sound files, music, etc.) content to be stored aspart of the content of a voice-page or provided for other uses. Acontent provider may access the telephony-based module to record voiceor other audio for use in a VPage. In an embodiment in which therecorded content is to be incorporated with a VPage, the contentprovider is presented a menu to provide the content to associate with anexisting VPage or a new VPage. When the user then visits the web-basedinterface, the user is able to select the recorded audio content to beincluded and used in a desired VPage.

The telephone-based recording module may also be used for generalrecording of voice-based thoughts from a content provider. Thisfunctionality serves as a voice-based recording pad (e.g., under thetrademark VoicePad by MicroStrategy). Content providers using thevoice-based recording functionality may utilize this feature as atraveling Dictaphone, recording thoughts and notes wherever the user isand allowing those thoughts to be accessed remotely for other purposes,such as incorporation into VPages.

Also, a module may be provided that allows the content provider tocreate a VPage solely from the telephony module. In this embodiment, theuser records his or her voice for the module. That VPage is then bestored by the VNAP or other system for access by users of the network.For example, the VPage creation module may ask a VPage creator to inputthe name of the VPage, and the user is then prompted to speak the name.Next, the VPage creator may ask the user to input the subject (e.g.,from a topic in a directory of VPages) of the VPage and the user is thenprompted to speak the subject. Then the VPage creator may ask the userto input the body of the VPage and the user may then record the body.Prompts may then be provided to provide links to other VPages andrequests for other content.

As part of the content creation, a content provider is provided with thefunctionality also to upload sound files for use in the VPage throughselection of the file and then some file transfer mechanism. The usermay then listen to the uploaded sound file to hear how that sound filewill be presented to listeners of the VPage. The files may then beincorporated into VPages for presentation.

In addition, as part of content creation, a content provider may selectaudible words or sounds to be used to select links or other actionswithin a VPage. In so doing, the content creation module adds theselected words to a grammar file associated with a voice recognitionsystem incorporated in the system. The grammar file may be used for theselected VPage only, for all VPages in the VBook or domain with whichthe VPage is associated, for all VPages provided by that contentprovider, or selected VPages chosen by the content provider orautomatically chosen by the content creation module. Accordingly, aspart of the content creation module, a content provider is enabled toselect grammar to activate a link or other action within a VPage.

Additionally, as part of the content creation module, a content providermay select to record the content provider's own voice to replace text inthe VPage that would otherwise be interpreted by a text-to-speechconversion engine. For example, in addition to the main content of aVPage, the content provider may also desire to have his or her own voiceread the message associated with instructions, read the options torespond to the instruction, read the various inputs to be provided in aquestion or message dialog page or any other text in the system thatwould otherwise be interpreted by a text-to-speech engine. To providethis functionality, a voice-recording module is provided as part of thecontent creation module. This voice-recording module enables the user toselect any text portion in a VPage, record voice content and then havethat voice content saved to be generated with the VPage.

The content creation tool may enable content providers to specifyvarious targets in response to the options selected to link thesubscriber from that VPage. The targets available may include anotherVPage, call transfer to a specified telephone number, file transfer toenable the subscriber to receive a file electronically, or directly intoa phone-mail or voice-mail box specified. These targets provide greaterfunctionality and flexibility in the system.

The content creation tool may also enable content providers to list theVPage or collection of VPages in a VPage directory. The VPage directoryis then accessible by subscribers to the system to find and locatedesired VPages of interest. Content providers may be assessed a fee forplacement of the VPage in the directory based on various feearrangements.

Further, a payment processing module may be provided that enablessubscribers to interact with transaction processing systems provided inVPages without having to provide payment identifiers such as credit cardinformation, check information and the like. Instead, a paymentprocessing system may provide separate non-payment identificationinformation that the subscriber provides to pay for a transaction. Thenetwork then obtains verification from the payment processing system andexecutes the transaction. Payment is then made between the paymentprocessing system and the network and/or the content provider with whichthe transaction occurred.

For context, this content creation module is to be used in an overallVPage system in which a VPage can consist of any grouping of contentthat is stored at a single location. A VPage contains both voice contentand a means of structuring it. Voice content may be stored in anyformat. One possible format is an audio file. Another is a text file,the content of which may be subsequently converted to audio via a textto speech (TTS) engine. A VPage may reference content stored in otherlocations. In one implementation, VPages may be stored as files on aserver's filesystem. In another, they may be records in a database. Inone implementation, they may be stored in an XML-based format such asTML (see appendix) or VoiceXML.

VCodes may also be assigned to collections of related VPages. Thesecollections of one or more VPages are referred to herein as VBooks. EachVPage or VBook is stored on a particular server. If multiple servers areused, each server may be assigned a VCode portion to identify theserver. If servers are located in different locations or are operated bydifferent voice network access providers, VNAPs, another VCode portionmay be used to designate the server location. A VPage may contain otherVCodes or other links that may be presented to a user to enable the userto link from an initial VPage to another. For example, the first page ofa VBook may provide an indication of other VPages in that VBook that areaccessible by entering the appropriate VCode (or other input). Also,when a user accesses one or more VPages, the VPage may provide a voicemenu to a user with numbers associates with each menu item to enable auser to access other VPages (in that VBook or otherwise) or otherchoices. Also, the user may be permitted to use verbal commands toselect options within a VPage. Again, voice-to-text, natural language,and best-fit modules may be used to interpret the user's verbal optionrequest and act upon the request accordingly. According to anotherembodiment, a VPage or VBook may enable a user to be transferred toanother VBook, another VNAP, or a VAdvertisement (as described below),among other things.

VCodes provide a means for addressing voice content. A VCode may be anydata string that references unambiguously a single VPage. It can take onany of a number of forms. In one implementation, a VCode may be a stringof DTMF values (values on a telephone keypad: 1, 2, 3, . . . 0, #,*). Inanother, a VCode may be a spoken word or series of words (an automaticspeech recognition (ASR) engine may be used here to interpret userinput). A VCode may be in any of a number of other formats, provided itunambiguously references a single VPage.

A VCode may be a simple numeric code or an alphanumeric code (includingsymbols such as # and *) or any other code that may be entered via akeypad of a phone or other interactive communications device or throughvoice recognition technology now or in the future. For example, butwithout limitation, the VCode may be a seven digit number. Each uniqueVCode corresponds to a VPage, a VBook, or in other embodiments, otherlevels of information relating to a VPage or VBook (e.g., where theVBook or VPage is stored, the “provider of the content,” or otherinformation). For example, different levels of sophistication may beused for a VCode.

A VCode may comprise of one or more fields. A VCode with more than onefield will be referred to as a multi-level VCode. A multi-level schememay be used to specify various aspects of the referenced VPage. Forexample, a VPage stored as a file on a file server may have a VCode withone field to specify host on which the VPage resides, another to specifyits directory, and another to specify its name. The fields of such amulti-level VCode can take on any of a number of forms (DTMF, speechsignals, etc.) and be concatenated using any of a number of schemes (ina multi-level DTMF VCode, the fields may be separated by a ‘*’).

It should be noted that multiple VCodes in multiple formats may refer tothe same VPage. Such a scheme may be used to allow a single page to bereferenced by an easy-to-remember DTMF string (SMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE# onthe telephone keypad, e.g.), and easy-to-type DTMF string (149#), and aneasy-to-say text string (“the Smithsonian air and space museum”).

According to one embodiment, the VCode comprises at least two parts—aVBook identifier portion and a VPage identifier portion, with theportions separated by a separation character (e.g., the * key of atelephone keypad). For example, the Smithsonian Museum may have a VBookof VPages for its displays. The Smithsonian VBook number may be 38367and Monet's Water Lillies painting may have a VPage number of 789. Toaccess the Smithsonian's Monet Water Lillies VPage, the user would enter38367*789 (VBook * VPage). Also, Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting may havea VPage code of 790. The user may enter 38367*790 to access the voiceinformation corresponding to that painting.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a VCode maycomprise multiple portions, at least one of which may correspond to apredetermined category. For example, VPages may be categorized bycontent type (e.g., sports, television, retail, museum, etc.), contentprovider type (e.g., individual, company, organization, government),size (e.g., large, medium, small), cost (e.g., premium, discount,regular), and other methods of categorization. For example, anindividual VPage may be assigned 463*123456, where 463 corresponds to anindividual VPage and 123456 is the code assigned to the specificindividual's page.

If the user desires, it is also possible for the user to simply inputthe VBook number, whereby the system may prompt the user for a VPageidentifier. Also, when the user is finished with one VPage from a VBook,the user may move to another VPage within that VBook by inputting onlythe VBook identifier (instead of having to input the VBook and VPagecombination again). Other VCode schemes could include a portion thatidentifies a VCode provider or VNAP to identify a VNAP on whose server aVBook or VPage resides and/or a content provider identifier portion toidentify a content provider whose content is being provided. Forconvenience of reference, a VCode with two or more portions will bereferred to as a multi-level VCode. Each portion of a multilevel VCodemay be separated by a separation character (e.g., the * key).Alternatively, different separation characters can be used to designatedifferent portions of a VCode. Other VCode schemes may be used.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a VCode registration system.VCode registration, according to one embodiment of the invention,enables a central system for registration of VCodes or portions ofVCodes. For example, if many companies provide content that isaccessible through a VNAP, each company may have assigned to it one ormore codes to identify that company. That company identifier code may bea portion of a multi-level VCode that permits users to access thatcompany's content via a VNAP. The registration system preferably storesinformation identifying where that company's content is stored, so thata VNAP can retrieve such content when requested by a user. Other aspectsof the VCode registration system are described below.

According to one embodiment, a VCode registry resides at the VNAP (or incommunication with the VNAP). When a user enters a VCode, the VCoderegistry is checked to determine where the content corresponding to theVCode is stored. The VCode registry returns the address of the contentfor use by the VNAP to retrieve the requested content. If the VCode is amulti-level VCode, the VCode registry can resolve the various portionsof the VCode to identify the content the user is requesting and itslocation.

Another aspect of the invention relates to storing content that may beretrieved via telephone, preferably so that the user may hear thecontent. The content may be stored in various formats. One convenientformat for storage of certain content is a sound file format. In othercases, content may be stored in other formats. For example, content maybe stored as text. In this case, when the text is retrieved, it may bepassed through a text-to-speech engine to create synthesized sound forthe user to hear. The content is preferably stored as separate VPages.Preferably, whenever content is stored, a VCode or multi-level VCode isassigned to it, and the VCode and any other information necessary toretrieve the content is stored in one or more registries.

According to one embodiment, content may be created by a VNAP. Thus, asingle organization may both create the content and make it available tousers via a VCode system. However, it may be desirable for a VNAP toencourage others to create and/or update content for the VNAP. In thiscase the creator of content will be referred to as a content provider,although it should be understood that a VNAP may also be a contentprovider as that term is used. For various reasons, including thosedetailed below, it may be desirable for content providers to registerwith a VNAP. Various procedures and protocols may be established by aVNAP to govern the posting of content to the VNAP's VCode system.Various mechanisms by which content may be posted are detailed below.

One embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method forenabling users to use these novel VCodes to selectively access storedcontent via a telephone device. Based on information made available tothe user, the user calls in to a VNAP and enters a VCode correspondingto the desired content. The VNAP locates the requested content (e.g., byreferring to the registry) retrieves the content (e.g., the VPage orVBook) and provides the content to the user via the user's phone,enabling the user to hear the content. In some cases, the VNAP may alsoprovide text for display on the user's phone, or other output to awireless access protocol device.

A user may access a VNAP by dialing a central number for the VNAP. Asdetailed below the number may by a local number, a long distance number,an 800, 888, 877 (or equivalent) number, (e.g., 1-800-TALKNET,1-800-VNET411, 1-888-88-VOICE), a 900 (or equivalent) number, or in somecases may be some other combination of keys. For example, a VNAP mayarrange with one, several or even all wireless network providers toenable its customers to contact the VNAP by dialing “*V” or some othereasily remembered combination of characters, such as #VN, 311 or #VOICE.Also, wireless phones or other devices may be provided with a specialkey or input to directly access a VNAP. Also, through arrangements withthe telephone company, landline telephones may access the system througha code like (*V, for example) as well. Also, a direct link on certainphones may be provided upon picking up the handset.

Also, it may be desired to enable each VSite or VPage to have its ownphone number. In such cases, by dialing the specified phone number, thenetwork may retrieve a VPage specified and may be able to use automaticnumber identification to automatically retrieve VPages and incorporatethe user's preferences. The system may charge a higher hosting fee forproviding a separate access number. Also, even though a separate numberis provided, the network into which the user dials may be a commoninterface. In the specific number situation, however, the VPage creatormay be able to restrict the VPages to which the use transfers.

For example, a bank, Bank A, may provide a VSite for customers as partof a large VNAP network. If a user accesses Bank A's VSite by navigatingthere through the VNAP, the user may, through the VNAP, also navigate tocompetitor, Bank B. If, however, the user accesses Bank A's VSitethrough a specific number assigned to Bank A, the VNAP may allow Bank Ato specify that users not be able to transfer to Bank B.

According to one embodiment, the following business method may beimplemented. A VNAP coordinates with a VCode display host for the hostto display a sign or other indicator of a VCode, preferably for anobject, attraction or subject associated with a display host location.Preferably, the display comprises the VCode, a brief description of thecontent available for that VCode and a central number (or otherdirections) for contacting the VNAP. Upon seeing such a display ofinterest, a user places a phone call to the central number for the VNAP,and when prompted enters the VCode of interest. The VNAP provides theuser with content via the user's phone, preferably audible contentcorresponding to the selected VCode.

The VNAP may charge the user a fee for the content. The VNAP may billthe user in any of a number of ways as described herein. According toone embodiment, the VNAP shares a portion of the fee with one or more ofthe display host(s), the content provider(s) and phone network(s) overwhich the phone call is made. According to another embodiment, the VNAPpays a set fee to the VCode display host entity. The VCode display hostmay also be the content provider and therefore, may receive a shareproportionally to its contribution to the system.

One example of this embodiment is as follows. The VCode display hostentity may be a museum. One or more exhibits at the museum may have aVCode displayed in association therewith, along with the central numberfor the VNAP. If the user desires to obtain more information about theexhibit, the user dials the central number to connect to the VNAP, andwhen prompted, enters the VCode for that exhibit. The VNAP in turnretrieves content associated with the entered VCode and plays it for theuser over the user's phone. The VNAP charges the user a fee (e.g., percall, per code, per minute or otherwise). The revenue derived from aVCode linked to the museum is recorded by the VNAP and a predeterminedportion of that revenue may be paid to the museum. This method isbeneficial for several reasons. The visitors benefit because theirexperience can be enhanced by receiving additional information forselected exhibits. The museum benefits because its patrons are providedadditional benefits without cost to the museum, and in fact, the museummay obtain additional revenue from fee sharing with the VNAP. The VNAPbenefits by collecting revenue for the service it provides. The VNAPand/or museum may also benefit in other ways.

For example, according to another embodiment, the VCode system may beused to enable a user to request a transaction. For example, the museumor other organization may offer souvenirs and other products or servicesthat can be ordered via telephone by use of a VCode or in connectionwith use of a VCode. For example, a VCode may be assigned to aparticular transaction (e.g., the purchase of a souvenir associated withan exhibit). The VCode may be displayed in proximity to the exhibit (orelsewhere). The user may call the central number and, when prompted, mayenter the VCode to indicate the desire to execute the transactionassociated with the VCode. If necessary, the VNAP may collect otherinformation from the user to complete the transaction.

According to another embodiment, if a user calls the central number andenters a VCode corresponding to a request for content, the VNAP mayinform the user of available transactions during the call. For example,if a user calls a VNAP and enters a VCode associated with information orother content pertaining to an exhibit, the VNAP may provide the userwith a voice menu that informs the user of related information, servicesor transactions. For example, if the exhibit is an art exhibit, the usermay call a central number and enter a VCode to find out more informationabout a particular painting. One piece of information provided may bethe artist's name. According to one embodiment, the user may be given amenu option that enables the user to purchase a book or other articlepertaining to that artist. The user may purchase that book by entering anumber or other input as specified in the menu.

Various fee generating and billing methodologies may be implemented.According to one option, the central number to the VNAP may be a 900number (or similar number) so that the user is charged based on theduration of the call. According to another option, the VNAP charges theuser based on the time of the call (e.g., by the minute, in six minuteintervals, by the hour, etc.), on a per call basis, on a per VCode basisor on a subscription basis. For example, a VNAP may set up a servicethat enables a user to pay a flat fee (e.g., monthly) for limited orunlimited access to content via VCodes. If a fee is charged on a perVCode basis, different fees may be charged for different VCodes. Tofacilitate this model, credits may be sold by the system, whereindifferent VCodes may cost a different number of credits. By chargingbased on credits, consumers may be charged different amounts based ontheir purchasing history. The per unit cost may be reduced for users whouse the system more. Also, by charging in credits, the actual cost isnot presented as part of the consumers' purchase.

Additionally, the VNAP may charge users for calling into the VNAP andmay also charge VCode providers for access to its users. The VNAP thenworks as an information broker, taking a commission from both sellersand buyers of that information.

According to one business model, the VNAP may make the call free toencourage users to call. In this case, the VNAP may provide general orbasic information for free but once the user is connected to the VNAP,offer “premium” VCodes corresponding to more detailed or valuableinformation, transactions or other fee generating mechanisms. Also, ifthe calls are free to users, the VNAP may generate revenues by chargingthe VPage providers a fee for providing their information on the VNAP.The VPage providers may include vendors, manufacturers or agents, forexample, to build VPages about the items that they are marketing toconsumers. For example, products may be labeled with a VCode soconsumers may find more information about the product prior to apurchase.

As another method of generating revenue in this system, the VNAP mayalso charge advertisers for including their advertisement content withVPages. The advertising revenue may be kept by the VNAP or distributedto the various VCode providers with whose pages the advertisements wereassociated.

As detailed below, one such fee generating mechanism may be to encouragethe user to be transferred to another VPage, VBook, VAdvertisement, orother “location,” whereby the VNAP is paid a fee for such transfer.According to one business model, a referral fee may be paid to the VNAPand/or content provider for referring a user to another VPage, VBook,VAdvertisement or VNAP.

One or more VPages may contain advertisements that are delivered to auser's phone (e.g., a voice ad). A VAdvertisement may comprise a portionor a complete VPage that advertises a product or service using voice.That VAd may provide the user with the option to purchase a good orservice during the interface. The VAd may be selected based on thecontent requested by the user. Providers of VAds may be charged to havethat VAd referenced or included in a VPage. The VAd provider may pay theVNAP, the VPage content provider or both. The VAd may be played for eachor selected users upon accessing the VNAP central number or at othertimes. The charge may be a flat fee for a period of time, a fee for eachuser for whom the VAd is played or otherwise. The VAd provider may makethat payment as a flat fee or based on any transactions that take placeas a result of the VAdvertisement.

In the case where transactions are provided, transaction processing maybe performed by the VNAP or the VNAP may transfer the call to anothertransaction processor. The transaction processor may be an operator, anautomated system, or some combination of the two that guides the userthrough the transaction process (e.g., with a voice menu prompting theuser to enter input via the keypad of the user's phone or otherwise).

In one embodiment, the user may be able to register with the VNAP andprovide certain information, for example, name, address, billinginformation, phone number, etc. Other information such as personalpreferences, demographics and pyschographic data may be provided duringthe registration process or subsequently accumulated by the VNAP. Thisregistration and other information may be used in a variety of ways. Forexample, the user's phone number (or phone numbers) may be used inconnection with a caller ID or similar service to identify the user eachtime the user calls in. This may enable the VNAP to accumulate atransaction history for the user. The transaction histories for eachuser may be stored by the VNAP in a data warehouse or other convenientstorage system. This registration information also facilitates theability to conduct transactions (for example, the purchase of goods) viathe VNAP. If the VNAP identifies a user based on a caller ID (or othermechanism), and the VNAP has a profile for the user including addressand credit card information (among other things), transactions may beconducted without requiring a user to enter all of this information foreach transaction. If desired, security codes or passwords may be used toprovide extra protection for the user and VNAP. Also, voice printauthentication may be used to ensure the identity of a caller,particularly for high cost usages of the system.

According to at least one embodiment, the content of a VPage ispreferably an XML-based voice content file (e.g., TML or VoiceXML) thatmay be interpreted by a XML-based voice content interpreter and playedfor the user via the user's phone. As discussed below, XML-based voicecontent files are structured to provide call flow. According to anotherembodiment, a VNAP may also maintain an index of information or othercontent that is available corresponding to a VCode. For example, a VNAPmay store XML-based voice content VPages, each having a correspondingVCode and may also store an index of other information (in otherformats), where selected index entries may be provided to the user(e.g., via a voice menu). If the user is interested in one of theindexed entries, the VNAP retrieves the information corresponding to theselected indexed entry and provide it to the user via the user's phone.For example, the VNAP may pass the information through a text-to-speechengine to create a sound file and play the sound file for the user viathe user's phone. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, text or othercontent may be displayed on or output to the user's phone or otherterminal device. Dynamic VPage generation may also be provided whereVPage content is generated on the fly from other content.

In one example, the other information may correspond to informationavailable via the World Wide Web. The index may be created by the VNAPby using standard indexing techniques or bots that search the web forcontent related to the content of stored VPages. Real-time searches maybe done by a VNAP during a user's call to provide current informationrelated to the VCode entered by the user based on keywords associatedwith the VCode. This aspect of the invention has several advantages. Oneadvantage is that for many topics relating to content of a VPage, itwould be costly and require a lot of storage to convert each “hit” froma web search to a sound file. By using the technique described herein,only if a user desires access to other information beyond the storedsound file is it necessary to convert the other information to a soundfile, which may be stored for subsequent use or not. Other databases mayalso be searched for related information or other content.

One example of how various individual features described above may beimplemented is as follows. A tourist in Washington, D.C. visits theWashington Monument. The person desires to learn more information aboutthe Washington Monument. The user notices a sign posted next to theWashington Monument which indicates a VCode, and a central number thatthe person may call to find out more information about the WashingtonMonument. Accordingly, the person places a call with a wireless phone(e.g., by dialing a central number, such as an 800 number or *V on awireless phone network to connect to the VNAP), enters the VCode andlistens to the voice content from the VPage corresponding to the VCode.At convenient times, the VNAP may present the user with a menu ofadditional options about or relating to the Washington Monument. Themenu of options may include historical data about the Monument, how theMonument was constructed, the geographic location of the Monument, theweather forecast for the area around the Washington Monument,restaurants located near the Washington Monument, bus routes andschedules near the Washington Monument, rates for taxi cabs from theWashington Monument to another location, or any of a variety of otheroptions. Additionally, transaction options may be provided by the VNAP.Specifically, the user may be given an option to purchase a miniaturemodel of the Washington Monument, purchase tickets to take a guided tourof the Washington Monument, or pay to hear patriotic music while touringthe monument. All of these options may be presented within a menu drivensystem by the VNAP based on the entry of the VCode. Because of the vastamount of information and options that may be provided, hierarchical orcascaded menus may be used.

In such a system, the National Park Service that allowed the VCode to beposted, the content provider that posted the content corresponding tothe VCode(s) accessed and the VNAP may all receive a portion of any feescharged based on the user's access to the content.

According to another embodiment, a more interactive approach may beused. For example, the VPage corresponding to the Washington MonumentVCode may provide the user with general information that relates to theWashington Monument. Then, the system may say “What else would you liketo know about the Washington Monument?” The user could then input avoice response which is then translated using speech recognition,natural language query technology, and/or artificial intelligence todetermine the best fit of the information that is available. Forexample, the user may say “I would like to purchase a miniature copy ofthe Washington Monument” and accordingly the user would be passed to thetransaction processing system to perform that task. Similarly, the usermay say “I am at the Washington Monument, how do I get to Arlington,Va.?” In response to that request, the VPage may transfer the user to aVPage providing directions from downtown Washington to Arlington, Va.

Also, multiple VPages may exist relating to a subject from differentvoice content providers. Therefore, a given object may have a number ofdifferent VCodes relating thereto. For example, Monet's Water Lilliesmay have a VPage in the Smithsonian but may also have a VPage from theBritish Museum with different content. In the Smithsonian, theSmithsonian's Water Lillies VCode may be displayed, but in an art bookpublished by the British Museum, the British Museum's VCode may bedisplayed. The VPages may also link to one another to provide differentperspectives on the same subject. One example may be VPages about a newmovie wherein different newspapers provide a different movie review fora particular movie. An advertisement for the movie may list several ofthe VCodes of the VPages from different newspapers that reviewed themovie and stored that review as a VPage on that newspaper's VBook.

An overview of the system architecture for enabling a VCode systemaccording to the various embodiments described above, and otherembodiments will now be summarized. In a basic embodiment, the systemcomprises user telephony devices connectable over a communicationsnetwork to a VCode provider (VNAP) that provides voice content over thecommunications network to the user, based on a VCode assigned to thatcontent by a VCode registration system. The user system comprises atelephony device (e.g., a wireless phone) for enabling the user to inputvoice and/or push button input (DTMF) and to receive voice contentthrough the speaker portion of the phone or other telephony device.Other types of devices for input and output may also be used as the usersystem.

The user connects to the VNAP over a communications network, such as atelephone and/or wireless telephone network or the Internet, to the VNAPby dialing a predetermined telephone number. Any suitable communicationsnetwork may be used in addition to and/or alternatively to the telephonenetworks and any mechanism for connecting may be used for thatcommunications network.

The VNAP receives the telephone call from the user, prompts the user fora VCode corresponding to desired information, and then delivers thatdesired information. The VNAP may comprise a number of modules toaccomplish this functionality. According to one embodiment, users callinto a call center to access VPages using a VCode. The call centerprocesses a request through a voice browser module that uses speechrecognition and text to speech modules to interpret user requests foradditional VPages or transactions. Once speech is received, a XML-basedvoice content interpreter reviews the XML-based voice content VPagebeing accessed to determine an appropriate response. The interpreterpasses the request to a voice server which provides security,personalization, content retrieval and billing modules to operate a safeand effective VPage retrieval and delivery system. In anotherembodiment, the VNAP may comprise a call center for interfacing with thecommunications network. An incoming call is received by the call centerwhich may identify the user and prompt the user for authenticationinformation. Once the user is authenticated, the user inputs informationabout the desired page. The user supplies the requested inputs,including the VCode corresponding to the desired content.

As used herein, the term VCode should be understood to refer to analphanumeric identifier. The term Vname may be used to refer to a verbalidentifier that may be used to request voice content through a voiceinput system of the present invention. Throughout this specification, ifthe term VCode is used, it should be understood that that VCode may beinput through entry of the VCode or verbal communication of acorresponding VName. Also, the VCode and corresponding VName may be thesame in some embodiments of the present invention.

The VCode is provided to a VCode identifier module to identify the VPagecorresponding to the VCode and to determine where that VPage is located.The VCode identifier module determines the VPage requested and thenpasses the identification of the desired page to a VPage retrievalmodule. The VCode retrieval module accesses a VPage database incommunication with the VNAP to retrieve the VPage. That VPage is thenpassed to a VPage execution module and VPage menu module. The VPageexecution module executes the VPage in conjunction with a voice outputmodule and optionally a voice personalization module. The voice outputmodule generates audible output from the VPage under control of theVPage execution module and passes the audible output to the call centerto relay it over the communications network to the requesting user.

The VPage menu module presents menu options to the user as part of theVPage execution and controls what information is presented in the menu.As such, the user may respond to the menus presented with a choice. Thechoice received from the user's telephony device is passed by the callcenter to the choice interpretation module which cooperates with theVPage menu module to determine the content or transaction processingthat the user desires. If a transaction is desired, then the user'stransaction request is passed to a transaction processing module whichmay cooperate with a transaction processing system to process therequest. Additionally, the VNAP provides a billing module for trackingthe user's activity on the VNAP for use in billing and allocation offees collected from the user for use of the system. Also, the VNAP mayhave a preregistration and personalization module for enabling the userto preregister with the VNAP for purposes of setting up an account andfor indicating how content requested is preferred to be delivered tothat particular user. A telephone number identification system (such asa caller ID system) may be used to determine the user's identity toeffectuate the selected personalizations or a user may be prompted for apassword/code during the call, upon which the pre-registeredpersonalization features may be used by the VNAP during the callsession.

That module may also be responsible for authentication, which may differby VNAP and/or VCode. Authentication may comprise caller identificationand may also involve password input. Voice print identification may alsobe used. Authentication may be set by subscribed users and contentproviders for specific VPages. For example, if a content providercreates a VPage with several transactions, the content provider may wantto authenticate callers with called identification and passwordauthentication to make sure that the transactions are secure. If a userand content provider have both set up authentications, then theauthentication module may select between the two, such as by selectingthe most secure method.

A registration system is also provided in communication with and/or aspart of the VNAP to enable the VNAP to register each VPage or VBook andhave a VCode assigned thereto. Users may then input the assigned VCodeto request that particular VPage and may be displayed in associationwith the subject of the VPage. The registration system may have adatabase that stores correspondence between a VPage and VCode and otherinformation as desired. A specific VCode naming convention may be usedby the registration system as described herein.

According to another embodiment, the VPages provided as content may beprovided by content providers. The content providers may download thevoice content to be included in a VPage through HTTP, email, directlink, FTP or any other data delivery method. The content providers mayprovide the information as voice files, text files, or TML/VoiceXML(Telecaster Markup Language/VoiceXML Language)) coded files (describedbelow) or any other format that may be used to generate audio output.

The VNAP may further connect to a VCode display host system whichdisplays VCodes associated with content subjects. The VNAP may forwardpayment of fees to the VCode display host system based on access byusers to the VNAP from VCodes posted by the VCode display host system,or based on other agreed fee sharing arrangements.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the system maycomprise a plurality of VNAPs connected over a network. Therefore,VPages may be provided at each VNAP and may be accessed by users thatcall into another VNAP due to the unique VCode assigned to each VPage.

According to another embodiment of the invention, one or more VNAPs mayconnect over a communications network to one or more VPage serversystems. The VPage server systems may host one or more VPages and one ormore VBook. The VPage server may thus store and serve VPage informationto users directly or through the VNAP. In this embodiment, when the userrequests a VCode from a VNAP, the VNAP determines through the VCodeidentifier module whether the VPage corresponding to the VCode is hostedby a VPage server at that VNAP or by another VNAP. If the VPage ismaintained by another VNAP, the VNAP connects to the other VNAP over thecommunications network, requests the VPage corresponding to the VCodeand executes the VPage according to the above description. BecauseVPages may be added and revised frequently, the VCode identifier modulemay cooperate with a VCode resolution system that accesses a globalregistration system to determine the VPage and VNAP corresponding to arequested VCode.

Each VPage server may host one or more VPages or VBooks and may comprisea database system that stores each VPage or VBook. Additionally,transaction processing hosts may store transaction information in otherdatabases.

Each VPage server may comprise a plurality of modules for performingthis functionality. Specifically, the VPage server may serve identifiedpages over the communications network to the VNAP requesting them. Also,a VPage storage engine may be provided for storing VPages in theassociated database system when received from a content provider. AVPage translation system may be provided to convert text files to voicefiles for storage as voice files or for delivery to users and mayperform other translation functions as desired. An email/FTP processingsystem may be provided by the VPage server to receive email and FTPdownloads of content from content providers for storage in the databaseand inclusion in one or more VPages. Also, a voice-to-text system may beprovided to convert voice files to text, if desired. A voice recordingsystem may also be provided to enable content providers to directlyrecord voice content for storage and inclusion in VPages. Also, a TMLengine may be provided for creating, compiling and storing TML filesthat are to be stored and served by that VPage server. This and othersystem architectures may comprise a voice network access system thatconnects these components to provide a community of users that areconnected to a community of content providers through one or more VNAPs.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the detailed description of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a VCode system according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed diagram of the VNAP architecture for usein a VCode system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a system for downloading content to VPage server systemsaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a schematic diagram of a method of operation of a VCodesystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a schematic diagram of a method of allocating feescollected from users to content providers according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a schematic diagram of a method of providing content andtransaction processing for VPages according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 depicts a schematic diagram of a VCode system according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a subscription graphical user interfaceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of VCode placement on an object of interestaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts example screen displays of a graphical user interfacefor configuring a VPage according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 depicts example screen displays from a graphical user interfacefor ordering brochures and labels corresponding to VPage displaysaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 depicts a screen display of a graphical user interface forreviewing the tree structure of a VBook according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 13 depicts an example of a tree structure for VPages according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 a depicts a flow diagram of revenue generation in VNAP systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 b depicts another embodiment of a flow diagram for revenuegeneration in a VNAP system according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 depicts an overall flow diagram of revenue generation accordingto another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 depicts a flow diagram of call processing according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 depicts an embodiment of speech recognition modules according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 depicts a call server system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 19 depicts an example newspaper incorporating VCodes according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 depicts an example view from an on-line content creation moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 depicts a flow diagram of a method of creating and storingcontent according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 depicts a flow diagram of a method of uploading sound files intoa VPage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 depicts a table representing functionality of DTMF-based andspeech links for use in a VPage system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 24 depicts a links input portion of a view form a content creationmodule according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 depicts a flow diagram of a method of speech enabled linkcreation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 depicts a view of a question input generated by a contentcreation module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 depicts a flow diagram of a method for telephone-based contentcreation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 depicts a system that enables call transfer from a VPage to aphone mail system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 depicts an embodiment of an interface for enabling a subscriberto access and manage voice recordings in a voice diary according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 30(a)-(e) depict example TML scripts created by a content creationtool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 depicts a view of a VPage/VBook directory according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 depicts a view of a category listing generated form a VBookdirectory according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 depicts a view of a search and search result generated from akeyword search of a VPage/VBook directory according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 34 depicts a view of a detailed search for VPages in a VPage/VBookdirectory according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 depicts a view of a search result generated from a detailedsearch for VPages in a VPage/VBook directory according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 36 depicts a VPage/VBook site placement interface according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 37 depicts a category selection view for a VPage/VBook siteplacement interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 38 depicts a system for creating content and organizing VPages intoa VPage Director according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 39 depicts a VNAP architecture including functionality forprocessing VPage directory requests according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 40 depicts a view through which a user may build a Vsite, includingaddition of message VPages, question VPages, and Call Transfer VPagesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 41 depicts a view through which a user may specify site propertiessuch as site name according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 42 depicts a view through which a user may specify site keywordsfor various voice pages in the site according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 43 depicts a view through which a user may bulk load contentaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 44 depicts a view through which a user may create a message voicepage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 45 depicts a view through which a user may create a question voicepage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 46 depicts a view through which a user may create a call transfervoice page according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 47 depicts a view through which a user may change the user'sprofile on the system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A system for providing voice-based content is described in detailherein, including various improvements and enhancements to theembodiments described in the parent application. The variousimprovements are described first and then the system in which thoseimprovements and enhancements may be used are described. It should beappreciated that many of the concepts described are also described inthe parent application, with more specific embodiments provided herein.

One enhancement relates to a content creation module that enablescontent providers a convenient and user-friendly interface through whichto create content to be stored in VPages. Various examples ofembodiments of overall systems in which this content creation module maybe employed are provided in greater detail below. In particular, VPagesmay be created and stored to allow audible content delivery to usersthat allow the users to navigate between various VPages and engage intransactions over a voice-enabled system.

To provide this voice-based content, VPages may preferably be stored bya VPage delivery system in a markup language format (e.g., TML orVoiceXML). To allow a wide variety of content providers to be able tocreate these markup-language format VPages, an interface is providedthat provides easy-to-use screens and views through which the userselects content. The content creation tool then translates the inputinto the desired format so that the content provider need not know themarkup language to be able to create VPages.

Although described in more detail below, a content creation module 65may be provided within an overall server system that may be accessed bycontent providers over a network such as the Internet using anyInternet-access device as shown in greater detail in FIG. 3 anddescribed below. Content creation module 65 may present views to contentproviders to enable them to input content and instructions to be storedin association with VPages that content provider selects to makeavailable to subscribers of the system.

In general, a content provider may log-in to the server system and maybe presented with an overview such as a view 2000 depicted in FIG. 20.The overall view may comprise peripheral links and content to provide acommon user-friendly environment for the content provider.

As depicted in FIG. 20, according to one embodiment, the peripheralportions of an interface 20 may comprise a navigation bar 2002, a siteand page information panel 2004 and a directory panel 2006. Navigationbar 2002 may comprise various tabs and links to enable navigation withinthe overall content provider site. For example, a welcome tab 2100provides a link to a welcome screen presented by the overall system. Ahome page link 2102 may be provided to transfer the user to a web-basedhome page provided by the system. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, thesystem may operate under the name My Angel, as provided by the assigneeof this invention. The content provider may personalize its home page onthe system.

Additionally, a profile tab 2104 enables (e.g., My Sites in FIG. 20) thecontent provider to access general profile information about thatparticular content provider's interaction with the system, includingvarious financial information, address and payment information, billinginformation, user name and password, and other personal information.Content providers may use this profile information to determine andmonitor interaction by subscribers with VPages provided by that contentprovider. An information tab 2106 may link content providers toinformation about the system (e.g., the Angel system provided by theassignee of this invention) and how to engage in certain activities.Further, other links including a log out link 2107, a help link 2109,and a contact link 2111 may also provide those functionalities.

As part of profile tab 2104, the user may select a site and page toupdate, modify or create. As shown, a site and page information panel2004 may be provided that enables the user to select the site name inbox 2108, site number in box 2110, page name in box 2112, and pagenumber in box 2114. Upon selection of an appropriate and valid sitename, number and page name and number, the content creation module 65 isinitiated to present the views in panels 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Main content panel 2010 may comprise a content input panel for thecreation of content for a VPage. As described below, VPages, or VPages,may comprise various varieties, including a message type VPage and aquestion type VPage. A message type VPage may provide voice-basedcontent to users and allow them to link to other pages, link to varioustransactions or perform some other activity. A question type VPage mayinteract with the subscribers to obtain information as part of atransaction or other event undertaken by the system. To select the typeof VPage being created or modified, main tool bar 2014 may comprise twobuttons or inputs for a memo type (button 2059) or a question type(button 2061).

As described in more detail below, a message type of VPage may providesub-elements that enable call transfer, file transfer, sound file uploadand others set forth herein. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the system enables administrative level and/or page creationusers to define VPage types. In this manner, new VPage types may beadded and interpreted by the system without rewriting code to handlethose types. For example, the following VPage types may be Call TransferVPages, File Transfer VPages, Calendar VPages, Transaction VPages, andChat Board VPages. An example of enabling the user to select frommessage type, question type and call transfer type is illustrated inFIG. 40.

Additionally, main tool bar 2014 may comprise a save button 2056, acancel button 2058, and a reset button 2063. Save button 2056 stores theVPage as either a new page or in place of previously stored page thathas been modified. Cancel button 2058 cancels the input that has beeninitiated and returns the content provider to a main interface. Resetbutton 2063 erases the input that has been performed on the particularVPage to allow the content provider to start fresh.

For a message type VPage, panels 2010 and 2012 are presented as depictedin FIG. 20. Panel 2010 may comprise one or more portions, such as thethree separate portions presented: a text portion 2016, a record portion2022, and an audio upload portion 2032. Through these various portions,a content provider is permitted to determine the type of content to bepresented to a listener when listening to the VPage being created oredited. Specially, the VPage may comprise text that is read using a textto speech conversion engine, may comprise recorded voice contentgenerated by the content provider or some other individual, and maycomprise various types of sound files or other audio content to beplayed or listened to by the subscriber (including multiple soundfiles). Although FIG. 20 depicts only a single instance of content ineach of the various portions, it should be appreciated that multipleportions of each type may be presented. For example, a content providermay desire to have two or more text entries, five recorded entries, andthree audio entries as one example of the many combinations available tothe content provider through the content creation tool of the presentinvention.

Text portion 2016 may comprise two different sections, including a textinput portion 2020 and a hear text button 2018. To enable the contentprovider to be able to understand the way in which text will berepresented by the text to voice system of the VPage delivery system,the user may select hear text button 2018 which activates the text tospeech conversion engine and provides that engine with the text input inbox 2020. Input into text box 2020 may be through any method, includingdirect input, cutting and pasting, and file insertion techniques.

In some instances, VPage content providers may desire to have the textof a VPage read through another person's voice rather than thetext-to-speech engine. Rather than or in addition to presenting textthat is converted to speech by a text to speech engine, a recorded filemay be input into the VPage. Recorded section 2022 therefore provides afile input section 2026, a browse button 2028, a length display area2030, and a hear recorded button 2024. In particular, a file to bedisplayed may be selected through box 2026. To assist the user inlocating recorded files, browse button 2028 may be activated where uponthe content creation module initiates a file browsing module located oneither the server system or the content provider's system to locaterecorded content to include in the VPage.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the contentcreation module 65 may also comprise a telephone-based component. Thistelephone-based component enables content providers to dial in using anyavailable telephony device to record voice to be saved by the serversystem to be made available for selection by a recorded portion 2022 inany of the VPages associated with that content provider. Additionally,other methods of recording content to be stored at the server system maybe provided, including use of a microphone at the content provider'ssystem that may then be recorded over the network connection to thecontent creation module 65.

The telephone-based content creation portion may be referred to as atelephone-based content creation tool. This component allows contentcreators to create recorded audio. An access number may be provided bythe system through which content creators dial in. Upon dialing into anumber, the content provider is then presented with a telephone-basedinterface to guide the content provider in creating recorded audio. Anembodiment of a methodology through which a content provider may createtelephone based audio is depicted in FIG. 27 through method 2700. Asshown, a first step 2702 may involve the content provider contacting atelephone based VPage content creation tool, such as through a 1-800number or other access number may be provided to the content providersto dial into a server based system to create voice-based content.Additionally, the content telephone based content creation tool may beaccessed over the Internet using Internet telephony or any other way oftransmitting voice-based data from a content provider system to theserver where the content will be stored and subsequently made availableto be incorporated in VPages through content creation module 65.

Upon entry of the telephone based VPage content creation tool, in step2704, the content provider may be prompted to provide identification andauthentication information. Such information may comprise a user nameand password that are spoken, PIN numbers through the DTMF keys on atelephone, or any other method commonly known for authenticating a userover a telephony based device. Within the telephone based contentcreation tool, it should be understood that common functions may beprovided to allow the content provider to navigate within the system.For example, use of certain keys may prompt certain actions. Forexample, depression of the star key may quit the tool to stop furtherinput of information. Further to return to the main menu, the zero keymay be depressed, and to start over, the number associated with theletter N may be input. Other variations may also be provided as one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate.

In step 2705, the content provider may be prompted to select the VSitefor which the content is to be created, if the content provider has morethan one VSite.

Also, as part of the system, help may be provided to enable the user tohear instructions on how to create and modify a VPage. Next, in step2706, the system determines whether or not that particular contentprovider has any VPages currently stored and accessible in the system.If there are none, then the system progresses to step 2714 to assign anew VPage number under which this particular recording is stored. If thecontent provider has only a single page, then in step 2708, the systemprompts the content provider to determine whether the content providerwould like to have the recording stored for the existing page or newpage. If a new page, then again step 2714 is performed and if not, thenthe system progresses to the voice recording in step 2716. If thecontent provider has multiple pages stored on the system, then in step2710 the telephone based content creation tool prompts the contentprovider to determine whether the recording to be done should be storedfor an existing VPage or a new VPage. If it is for an existing VPage,then in step 2712, the content provider is prompted to select from theavailable VPages stored by the system and then the system progresses tostep 2716. In step 2716, the system prompts the content provider tobegin recording a voice-based recording. When the content provider isdone recording, he or she may so indicate by pausing for a predeterminedperiod of time, or by depressing the pound key twice, for example. Othermethodologies by which a content provider indicates the termination of arecording may also be used as appreciated by one of ordinary skill inthe art.

Upon completion of the recording, the content provider may be permittedthe opportunity to hear the recording to re-record and/or approve therecording. Once the content provider has approved the recording, theserver system stores the recording in association with the VPageidentified, either by selection of an existing VPage or by the new VPageidentifier selected by the system. Then, in step 2718, the contentprovider may incorporate the recorded content in the existing VPagethrough the use of content creation tool 65. It should also beappreciated that the telephone based interface may enable the automaticinput of the recorded content into an existing VPage upon prompts to thecontent provider.

Main content portion 2010 may also allow for the upload of audio filesto be played as part of a VPage. As shown in FIG. 20, an audio portion2032 may be provided that comprises a play button 2034 to allow thecontent provider to play a selected audio file to be able to determinehow it will sound to a subscriber. Additionally, an audio file selectionportion 2036 and a load button 2038 may be provided. The interface mayenable a content provider to select a sound file stored on the contentprovider system and input that file's identifier and location in section2036. Functionality for enabling the content provider to browse for thefile may also be provided. Although shown as a WAV file, other types ofaudio files may also be uploaded, such as MP3 files, WAV files, realaudio files, or any other type of sound based electronic file. When thecontent provider has selected the desired file, the content provider maythen select the load button 2038, which automatically uploads the filefrom the content provider system to a server system and stores it inassociation with the desired and selected VPage. This methodologyprovides greater flexibility for VPage content creators. For example,suppose a department store decides to create a set of VPages, one eachfor every item offered for sale in the store. That department store maydecide to hire audio talent to speak about those items and recordinformation in a particular file format to be uploaded to serve as aVPage. The VPage may then provide functionality to allow the subscribersaccessing the VPage to make purchases or engage in other activitiesassociated with the item. In another example, suppose a disc jockeydesires to showcase his musical talents. The disc jockey may then createa series of music clips in a particular electronic file format andupload those clips into one or more VPages that may be accessed bysubscribers. Subscribers who are shopping for a disc jockey may thenaccess that disc jockey's VPage and listen to the various clips that thedisc jockey has selected to highlight his or her talent.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it may bedesirable to use a single file format for output to subscribers to allowthe system to be more uniform, such as the WAV file type. Contentproviders may then either upload that file type, or the content creationtool may have an automatic file translation mechanism that translatesother audio file formats into .WAV file format. Additionally, the systemmay set limits on the size of the file to avoid overloading the databasewith large audio file types. Other parameters about the file types maybe specified by the system to create greater uniformity. For example,the WAV file may be limited to a sampling rate between 4 kilohertz and96 kilohertz with a bit per second of 8 or 16 and may be eitherstereophonic or monaural. Although described as desirable, it should beappreciated that the system may also provide content providers withgreater flexibility and allow them to store any type of file or any sizeof file that they so desire. As part of this flexibility, the serversystem may decide to charge the VPage content creator based on the typeof file, size of the file, sampling rate, or any other file attribute.The amount charged may also be based on the size of the file, the lengthof time it has been stored, or some combination of these factors and theother factors mentioned above. Play button 2034 allows the contentprovider to play the uploaded file to determine how it sounds on thesystem.

This process for uploading sound files is depicted in FIG. 22 as method2200. In particular, one embodiment of a method for uploading a soundfile from a content provider system to a server system to be stored inassociation with a VPage may first involve step 2202. In this step, thecontent provider selects to upload an audio/sound file. In step 2204,the content provider system module is accessed for available sound filestored on that system. In step 2206, the content provider selects aparticular sound file to be uploaded. In step 2208, the sound file istransferred electronically from the content provider system to theserver system. In step 2210, the system determines whether the contentprovider has selected to play the file through selection of play button2034. If so, the sound file is played in step 2212 and the systemcircles back to determine whether the play button is pressed again. Ifnot, and the content provider moves onto another activity, then in step2214 the system determines that the content provider has accepted thesound file in which case in step 2216, the sound file is associated withthe VPage to be presented as part of this VPage.

Referring to FIG. 20, a links portion 2012 may also be provided for amemo type of VPage. Links portion 2012 enables the content provider toselect one or more messages for voice output to describe the choices anda plurality of choices to which the subscriber may transfer. The choicesmay transfer the subscriber to another VPage within the network,including a transfer to a question type of VPage to engage in atransaction or perform some other action, or a transfer of thesubscriber to a specified telephone number using a call transfer asdescribed below. As shown, a message portion. 2040 may be provided toallow the content provider to create the text for a message to be outputvia text to speech conversion to the subscriber upon conclusion of themain content portion of the VPage. Next, various choices 2042 may bepresented. To add or remove choices, buttons 2041 and 2044 may bepresented. For each choice, at least one option format is provided toenable the subscriber to select the option. The options may include aDTMF selection from a telephony device as depicted in input section2046, or may comprise a speech enabled link as depicted in section 2044.Speech links are described in detail below. Additionally, for eachchoice, there may be a “go to” reference associated with the particularchoice, whereupon selection of the option associated with the choice,the user is transferred to that particular “go to” reference. In thisembodiment, the “go to” reference provided is a VPage wherein the sitenumber is depicted in site portion 2048 and the VPage is depicted inpage portion 2050.

Additionally, according to one embodiment, for each choice, the contentprovider has the option of presenting a message to be relayed to thesubscriber upon selection of that particular choice as the subscriber isbeing transferred to the “go to” reference. In one embodiment, themessage may be either text or audio and may be input in text box 2052 oraudio box 2054. For each of these boxes, a play link 2055 may beprovided whereupon the content creator can play the actual text througha text to speech conversion or hear the audio that is generated inassociation with that particular choice. To enable the content providerto select the audio, a browse link 2057 may be provided if thatparticular input type is selected. The link portion enables the VPagecontent creator to create a navigational structure for subscribers touse that particular VPage.

The overall flow of input for a memo type of VPage as described above issummarized in FIG. 21 through method 2100. Through this method, in afirst step 2102, the content provider selects a VPage to either createor edit through the portion 2004. Next, in step 2104, the contentprovider adds to the main content through main content portion 2010.Next, the content provider in step 2106 adds links to other VPages orother references through link section 2012. It should be appreciated,however, that steps 2104 and 2106 may be done interactively and inseparate order, because order is not necessarily important to thecompletion of those two tasks. When the content provider is satisfiedwith the main content information and the link information, in step2108, the user may select save button 2056 to store the VPage in thedesired format.

As described above, VPages may be stored by the system in a markuplanguage format, such as TML or some other version of XML. Contentcreator module 65 thus translates the corresponding inputs into thatparticular markup language format through direct reference of thecontent in the interface to a particular tag in the language. Forexample, TML provides a text tag (now called “speech”) whereupon anytext input in section 2020 is created at a VPage surrounded by speechtags to indicate to the TML parsing engine when that VPage is parsedthat this particular text is to be converted to speech and presented tothe subscriber. Similarly, TML creates a tag for audio content whereuponthe information in portions 2026 and/or 2036 are input into a VPage inTML format surrounded by the appropriate audio or sound tag. Similarly,TML may convert the messages inputs to speech tagged entries with theinformation from section 2040. The options are converted to optiontagged entries as well. Examples of TML portions created for theseinputs to the interface are shown in FIG. 30. FIG. 30(a) depicts anexample of a TML code for output of a sound file wherein the sound fileis a .VOX sound file type. FIG. 30(b) is an example of a TML script forgathering DTMF base numbers in response to an input query. FIG. 30(c) isan example of a script for receiving speech enabled link responseswherein the choices here in the grammar are apples and oranges. FIG.30(d) is an example of a TML script wherein either speech or DTMF may beposed in response to a particular query to provide the link. FIG. 30(e)is a TML script example for a call transfer to transfer a subscriberfrom an active VPage directly into a telephone number of voice mailsystem. Call transfer is described in greater detail below.

Accordingly, the interface structure presented in view 2000 relates tothe format of the markup language in which the VPage is to be stored toassist in easier translation of content input by a content provider to aVPage to be stored by the system. If other markup languages are used,the input format in the interface may vary according to the types oftags available by that particular markup language. Once the VPage hasbeen stored in the proper format in step 2108, then in step 2110, thesystem makes that page available by subscribers upon selection of thatparticular VPage as described in detail below.

As described above, the system may permit a variety of input formats toselect one of the options corresponding to a link. As shown in FIG. 2, anumerical input may be provided in section 2046 or a speech enabled linkmay be provided in section 2044. In a situation where both types ofinput options are available, the system may provide for contentproviders to input one or the other, or both. FIG. 23 depicts a tableindicating one embodiment of an interpretation table provided forvarious input options. As shown, there may be five different types ofcombinations when a key word or speech enabled link is provided in aDTMF or numeric input mechanism is provided. Additionally, for eachoption, a “go to” reference may be required to indicate where totransfer the subscriber upon selection of that particular choice.Accordingly, for each option type, there may be three parameters: a keyword or speech enabled link input, a DTMF or numeric input, and a VCodeor “go to” input.

With these three inputs, five different types of choices may berecognized and interpreted by the system. The first type is one in whichno key word, DTMF or VCode is input, indicating that the default blanklink has been selected. This describes the situation which the link hasbeen newly created. For storage, there may be four different types oflinks. In one type of link, if the VCode is empty, it is an invalid linkbecause all links may be required to be associated with the VCode orsome other transfer to which the subscriber is transferred uponselection of the choice. If upon saving a particular choice, the keyword input is empty but the DTMF input and VCode are filled, this is avalid DTMF type of link. If, however, all three are filled (key word,DTMF, and VCode), then it is a valid speech enabled link with DTMF backup. If the key word is filled, but the DTMF is empty, and the VCode isprovided, this is a valid speech enabled link input. The system savesthis choice into a database. The process for creating speech links isprovided and shown specifically with reference to FIG. 25.

Speech links operate through the use of grammar and grammarinterpretation engines, such as the embodiments described with referenceto FIG. 17. To utilize speech links, therefore, the key word input bythe content provider is added to a grammar page usable by the grammarinterpretation module to interpret the choices selected by subscribers.Process 2500 provides various steps for this to occur. First in step2502, the content provider selects a speech enabled link by inputtingtext into the speech enabled link portion of section 2044, for example.Then the content provider inputs key words into that particular field instep 2504. It should be appreciated that whereas one key word may beinput as shown, it is also possible to input a combination or aplurality of different key words to allow the user to select aparticular choice. For example, in asking a subscriber the name of theirfavorite baseball team, it may be possible to allow the subscriber toindicate the team by city, nickname, or another slang name. For example,for the Cincinnati Reds, the key words Cincinnati, Reds, and Cincy maybe provided to allow a variety of choices instead of a single term.Next, in step 2506, the key words are compared to existing grammar filesactive for that particular VPage.

In using speech links, it is possible to use a variety of differentprocesses related to the grammar files. For example, a single grammarfile may be usable for the entire system of VPages accessible by asubscriber. Various different files may be usable by a particularsubscriber. For example, it may be desirable to provide a uniformcommand scheme and reserve key words associated with that command schemeto avoid confusion. To allow a subscriber to navigate within the system,certain key words like back, forward, stop, home, and others may bereserved that allow certain functionality to occur within the VPagenetwork. Also, a grammar file may be associated for each particularsubscriber or VPage content provider as desired. Also, each particularVPage may have its own grammar file that is usable in combination withthe overall grammar file and other grammar files as well.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, fourlevels of grammar may be active for any particular page. These grammarentries may operate in a hierarchical fashion such that words areresolved against grammar entries first at the highest level and then ondown to lower level grammars.

The highest level is preferably system-wide navigation commands (e.g.,home, go to, back, next, stop, pause, volume, etc.). The next level maybe a VName/VSite direct access terms. For this level, the terms used todirectly access a VSite by its VName are recognized. For example, theVName of Cincinnati Reds may be assigned to a VSite about that baseballteam. That term may be placed in the second level grammar hierarchy toenable that term to be resolved to have the system initiate thecorresponding VSite.

The next level down may be VSite specific commands. These commands mayrelate to navigation within a VSite or other commands that have meaningwithin that particular VSite. The fourth level down may then be VPagespecific commands. These may be commands that apply for a VPage beingaccessed by a user.

By using levels of priority, the grammar system is able to resolvepotentially conflicting terms by choosing a term from the higher level.

One of the advantages of using different levels is the ability to selectlevels for customizing dedicated site access. As described in thesummary of the invention, in one embodiment, VSites may providededicated access to its VSite, such as through a specified phone number.The same VSite may also be accessible through a VNAP access number orother general access techniques. When a user accesses a VSite throughthe dedicated site access technique, certain command levels may bedisabled, such as the Vname/VSite level commands. This may enable theVSite to be self-contained such that the user is not able to transfer toVpages of competition, for example, as in the Bank example in thesummary.

It may also be desired to enable a VSite to disable certain commandswithin a selected level, but not all commands in that level. For examplethe VSite may disable the commands that would transfer the user to acompetitor's VSite, but not to affiliates' VSites.

In addition, as part of providing dedicated site access, the system ofthe present invention may provide different error handling routinesdepending on whether the user accesses the VSite via the dedicated sitetechnique or other general access techniques. These error handlingtechniques are what the system uses when the user issues a command thatit does not know how to interpret. The VSite owner may specify fordedicated site access that one error handling routine be used whereasgeneral access users may be handled differently.

To avoid confusion between terms, it may be desirable in step 2506 tocompare the input key words with key words in existing grammar filesavailable for that particular. VPage. If in step 2508 a conflict with anexisting grammar file entry is found, then in step 2512 the system mayenable the content provider to override the particular entry in thegrammar file. Therefore, the system checks in step 2512 whether thatparticular content provider has authorization to take that action. Ifnot, then an error message may be generated in step 2514, cycling thesystem back to step 2508 to allow the content provider to choose adifferent key word for that particular choice. If the content providerhas authorization to override or there is no conflict with existinggrammar file entries, then the key word is added to the particulargrammar file associated with that particular VPage. As described above,the key word may also be added to other grammar files as appropriate.Once this key word has been added to the grammar file, it is thenavailable to be interpreted by voice the recognition system, such as theone described through FIG. 17, to enable subscribers to navigate withinthe various files in the VPage system.

Use of speech enable links is empowering for subscribers so that they donot have to utilize a keypad. For example, some users may connect usinga telephone in which inputting numbers is inconvenient, such as phonesthat have the numeric portion within the handset. Therefore, it iseasier and more intuitive to allow subscribers to navigate pages thatare linked by key words. Given the chance to specify links by key words,content providers are able to create more flexible applications andsubscribers find it easier and more pleasant to use the VPage network. Acouple of examples of the way in which these speech links may be usedinclude the following: Joey, a content provider, has created a VPageabout the NFL. In one of his VPages he asks, “what is your favorite NFLteam?” By inputting speech links corresponding to the various NFL teams,subscribers that access that VPage may then be transferred to a VPagepersonalized to the specific favorite teams selected. In anotherexample, a realty company may like perspective home buyers to be able tobrowse a particular VPage about a property and to transfer to a liveagent to answer their questions about that particular property.

Interpretation of speech links may occur as follows: Subscriber haslistened to the content of VPage with speech links. After a small,configurable pause (the pause may be the same for all VPages, but may beconfigurable by a system administrator), the option description text isread out by the system. The system pauses and listens for a key press ora key word. If nothing is said or pressed, the system may time-out. Ifsomething is typed through a key press then the system attempts to findthe match for the DTMF or numeric input. If something is spoken, thesystem attempts to match the key word to either a global command keyword or a key word input for one of the options for one of the speechlinks. Once a match is found, the link corresponding to the match isfollowed. It may be desirable to allow subscribers to say or press aDTMF key, to say a key word, or press a DTMF key at any time while in aparticular VPage. Therefore, links are functional at all times, not justafter the message indicating the available choices. This is advantageousfor users who are frequent visitors to a particular VPage to allow themto navigate more quickly within the various VPages available.

In one embodiment, if both a key press and a word are said at the sametime, it may desirable to allow one (e.g., DTMF entry) to takeprecedence, so that the system knows which to accept. If a subscribersays a key word, and it is not recognized, an error message may begenerated to the user to allow them to give a second repeat of the keyword or use the DTMF input instead.

The present invention also provides for a target of a particular optionto comprise several different target types including the following: aVPage transfer target which transfers the subscriber to a selectedVPage, a call transfer target which transfers the subscriber to atelephone number or to a voice mail system with that telephone number,or to select automatic file transfer of a particular file directly tothe subscriber.

FIG. 24 illustrates a linked portion that provides four different typesof targets to the various choices within the linked section. The firstone depicted shows a call transfer choice wherein the “go to” columnindicates the number to which the subscriber is to be transferred. Whenthe subscriber selects this particular choice, as shown in FIG. 28, VNAP12 may initiate a call transfer module 2804 to automatically transferthe subscriber from the current VPage to the telephone number selected,such as by dialing that telephone number and transferring the user fromthe VPage interaction system to that particular phone number. In thiscase, the subscriber is transferred out of the VPage network and itsfunctionality. Optionally, the system may transfer through a conferencefeature wherein the subscriber is able to cancel call transfer if nohuman user answers the telephone at that particular number to, thus,transfer back to the VPage network.

The second choice in FIG. 24 shows the standard VPage transfer option inwhich the particular VPages in the network is specified where uponselection by a subscriber of this option choice results in subscribertransfer to the designated VPage. The third choice indicates a filetransfer option choice. Selection of this option causes VNAP 12 toinitiate file transfer module 2807 (see FIG. 28) to transfer theselected file type to the subscriber using personal profile informationabout that subscriber. For example, a particular recipient address maybe provided for file transfer, such as an e-mail address, an FTPaddress, or any other place where an electronic file may be transferred.It is also possible that if the subscriber profile does not includeinformation where a file may be received, the system may obtain adestination where the subscribe wants the information to be transferred,such as through a question type of VPages as described in detail below.

This option type is useful for many different examples. For example,suppose a user has a personal VPage where one of the options is to allowthe subscriber to have a copy of the person's resume transferred. Thistype of VPage may be useful if, for example, a directory of VPagesrelating to employment. The VPage system, thus, may serve as a browsableemployee database where each potential employee has his or her own VPagewith information about the potential employee and the ability to receivea resume, if desired.

The fourth choice in FIG. 24 may specify particular voice mailboxnumber. To provide the functionality of a transfer directly to atelephone number or to a voice mail or phone mail box, the system ofFIG. 1 (described in greater detail below) may further be connected asshown in FIG. 28. VNAP 12 may be connected to one or more telephonenetworks 2810, which may be connected to one or more phone mail systems2808 and one or more telephony device systems 2812. VNAP 12 may also beconnected to one or more networks 2815 which connect the VNAP to one ormore e-mail recipients 2814.

In one embodiment, network 2815 may comprise the Internet or othere-mail accessible transfer systems. VNAP 12 may thus comprise a filetransfer module 2807, a VPage transfer module 2805, and a call transfermodule 2804. When a subscriber connected to VNAP 12 desires a calltransfer, as selected through one of the call transfer type links, calltransfer module 2804 connects the subscriber (e.g., voice over IP orover the telephone network) to the selected telephony device 2812 byplacing that telephone call and transferring the subscriber directly tothe telephone device such that the connection is made between thesubscriber directly to the telephony device over the telephone network2810. If, however, the user selects a transfer directly to phone mail,then call transfer module 2804 connects over telephone network 2810 tophone mail system 2806 to connect the user into a specified phone mailbox. It should be appreciated that phone mail system may be accessedthrough specification of a particular telephone number and, ifnecessary, extension number. Accordingly, various users may access themessages stored in the voice mail system for that particular contentprovider through a telephony device 2812 connecting over the telephonenetwork 2810 or by directly connecting the phone mail system through aninternal telephone network. If a subscriber selects a file transfer typeof target for an option, file transfer module 2807 connects over one ofthe other networks 2815 to a recipient 2814 such as an e-mail recipientor other electronic file transfer system such as FTP, etc.

In addition to enabling content providers to create a VPage that allowssubscribers to transfer from a VPage to a phone mail, it is alsopossible to set up phone mail systems and other systems to allow fortransfer from a particular phone mail system directly into a VPage. Forexample, it may be desirable for a small business to have a VPageassociated therewith. Accordingly, when no one is available to answerthe telephone at the particular business, a caller is automaticallytransferred into a VPage associated the business. Through the VPage, thecaller may be able to make purchases over the telephone through aquestion type VPage. And also, the caller may be able to find moreinformation about the products and services offered by that particularbusiness received electronic files and perform other actions asdescribed above.

Additionally, other messaging services may also be provided by thesystem. One such messaging format may comprise voice instant messaging.The key element is the notion of an intelligence voice box which allowssubscribers to retrieve, send, and manage interactive voice messagessent by other subscribers to the network. Three other types of messagingservices may be offered; web-to-voice, voice-to-voice, andvoice-toe-mail. The web-to-voice feature allows content providers tosend out voice links to the VSite they created with the content creationmodule. Recipient receive a message in their voice box with a specifiedmessage such as, “Hello, friends. I just created this great new VPagesite with 150 new clips from Jerri Seinfeld's best Seinfeld episodes.Just say, ‘go there’ to check it out.” With a simple speech command ortelephonic input the recipient then accesses the VSite in the samemanner he would normally, or may simply delete the message. This messagemay be accessible when the subscriber logs onto the VPage networkwhereupon the VPage network informs the subscriber that they havecertain VPage messages. The subscriber could then choose to listen tothe VPage messages, and if received from another content provider, mayactivate the link to go into the VPage corresponding to the link. Thefunctionality provided allows the transfer of fully functionalinteractive voice services including links, text-to-speech, sound clips,etc. and not just plain messages to multiple users. Content providersare able to create a message, transmit it to a plurality of subscribersto the network, and attract attention to their particular VPage.Subscribers may choose to limit the types and categories of messagesabout VPages and may even sign up to receive information about certaintypes of VPages. A personal profile for the subscriber may include suchinformation to allow the system determine which subscribers to receivewhich voice-to-web messages provided by content providers.

A voice-to-voice feature may also be provided whereupon anyone may senda brief voice message to any other member of the network through asimple three step process. First, the participant records the messageover the telephone such as using the voice diary feature, selectsrecipients including individual users or a predefined buddy list andsaying, “send.” This message service is similar to traditional voicemail, but also allows for powerful multicast messaging (eliminating theneed for the user to leave the same message multiple times) as well asits powerful interactive capabilities, e.g., all recipients caninstantly respond by simply saying, “reply” without having to dial a newtelephone number.

Also, voice-to-e-mail may be provided. The information recorded is sentto the e-mail address for the other subscribers or buddy listparticipants selected. In this case, the recorded sound file may be sentas a .WAV file attachment or some other form of sound file attachment tothe electronic mail that is sent to the recipients.

Referring back to FIG. 20, as described there may be multiple types ofVPages. One type of VPage may be a question VPage which allows for thecontent provider to interact with subscribers to obtain informationthrough various questions posed to the subscriber to allow them tocreate input of various types in response to those questions. In oneembodiment, each question VPage may provide only a single question. FIG.26 depicts an embodiment of a user interface activated by the systemupon selection of question button 2628 by a content provider. Interface2600 may contain multiple portions, including a question content portion2602 and a profile information portion 2604. To reduce the number ofquestions asked of a particular subscriber, the content provider mayspecify in profile information portion 2604 those different fieldswithin the user profile that may be automatically transferred uponcompletion by the subscriber of the question VPage. As shown in FIG. 26,a plurality of fields may be stored as part of the personal profile ofsubscribers to the system. Through check boxes 2624 or some otherselection mechanism, the various profile fields shown as 2622 may beselected by the content provider, whereupon those fields areautomatically transmitted to the content provider at the conclusion ofthe entry of the question VPage.

Specifically, when a subscriber opens a question type VPage, the systeminteracts with the subscriber to obtain any responses to the variousquestions posed. At the conclusion of that session, the answers arecollected by the system and made available to the content providerthrough various transfer formats, such as automatic transfer via e-mailto the content provider. For example, if the VPage content provider isproviding for transactions for purchases of items, upon completion ofthe question type VPage, the information may be automaticallytransferred to a transaction processing engine associated with thecontent provider to complete the transaction associated with thepurchase of the item. In the question content portion 2602, variousquestions may be input by the content provider. To add a new question,button 2620 may be selected whereupon a new question may be added to thequestion content for this particular VPage.

For each question, a plurality of different portions may be provided toallow input of information relating the question to be asked to thesubscriber. For example, text box 2606 may be provided to allow thecontent provider to specify the text to be read to the subscriber. Aplay link 2608 may be provided to allow the content provider to hear howthat question will be read by the text input in text box 2606. Inaddition to or instead of, the content provider may prefer the questionto be partly or completely read by an audio portion such as the contentprovider's own voice. Through audio portion 2610, the content providermay specify the file name of the audio to be read as part of questionone. A play link 2608 may be provided as well as a browse link 2612 toenable the content provider to browse for and select the file to beinput in box 2610.

Each question may also be specified as one of a variety of responsetypes through a drop down box or other selection mechanism such asselection mechanism 2614. According to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the response types may include a number, a yes/no input, adate, a time, a currency, or audio recording. A delete box 2616 may alsobe provided to delete the particular question. Next, a target for thequestion may also be provided that indicates the next action to be takenby the system after a response is received to that particular question.The target may be specified in section 2618 and may comprise a nextquestion, or a particular VPage, or any of the other targets specifiedby a message field as described above. Because the system is trained toaccept either voice or numeric inputs (such as through DTMF inputting),it may be desired to specify certain parameters that are acceptable forthe various response types. The number field may be specified by theuser through input of various numbers through the keypad or DTMFfollowed by the pound sign. The number field may permit a variablelinked response and, therefore, may prompt the user by saying, “pleaseenter the number followed by the pound sign.” The yes/no response typemay prompt the user by saying, “to select ‘yes’ press 1 and to select‘no’ press 2” with other results ending in an error. The date responsetype may result in the prompt for year, month and day.

To guide subscribers through inputting this information, a sequence maybe provided as follows: requesting that the subscriber enter the 4-digityear, a 2-digit month, followed by the pound sign, and 2-digit dayfollowed by the pound sign. At the end of this input, the day may beread back to the user to confirm that the day was input correctly. Thetime response type may result in a prompt for hours and minutes with thefollowing occurring for that response type. First, the user may beprompted for am or pm through the input of the number corresponding tothe letter “a” or “p” followed by the pound sign. Next the hour may beinput through a 2-digit input followed by the pound sign. And theminutes may be input with a 2-digit input followed by the pound sign. Atthe conclusion of the response by the subscriber, the enteredinformation may be read back to the subscriber to confirm through theinput of “1” or to re-enter through the input of “2.”

A currency response type may allow the subscriber to input value to beentered in dollars and cents. First the user may be prompted to providethe dollars followed by the pound sign and, next, the cents followed bythe pound sign. The cents field may be prompted and validated to be avariable length of up to 2 digits. At the conclusion, again the inputvalue may be read back to the subscriber to confirm through the input of“1” or to re-enter through the input of “2.” For an audio response type,the system begins recording the information received from the subscriberas an audio file type.

The system may prompt the content provider to provide the audio input.Upon completion, the content provider may denote the end of the input bypressing a given key (e.g., the pound sign). The subscriber may then beprovided a predetermined period of time to provide an audible response.When the user presses the selected key, the system may then confirmreceipt of the message. It may be desirable to set a limit on the timeof the message input by the subscriber, and, therefore, a predeterminedtime limit may be set. In this case, if the user exceeds thepredetermined time period, the user may hear a message indicating thathe has reached the time period and that the recording has stopped. Thesystem then gives the user the option to confirm the message, listen toit again, or to re-record the response. When the subscriber has answeredthe questions on a page, the system sends an e-mail or other electronictransmission of the information with responses to the content provideror a specified recipient, such as a transaction processing system to buya good or service. Response e-mails that contain audio file responsesmay include the audio file as an attachment in a .WAV format. The systemmay create the message of the e-mail such that the body indicates thepresence of each response and specifies the title of the attached filesif any.

To allow the content provider to more easily determine targets for aparticular question, a browse button 2619 may be provided to allow themto monitor an index of available VPages for which that particularquestion VPage may link at the conclusion of the answer to a particularquestion. A confirmation message may also be added to a particularquestions VPage that is read at the conclusion of all responses to aparticular question VPage (e.g., “thanks! we will book yourreservation”).

As mentioned above, the profile portion allows the content provider toselect the fields to include within the concluded question session fromthe available profile. It should be appreciated that some subscribersmay limit the fields that are automatically transmitted to a contentprovider and may indicate as such to the creation of their user profile.If a user has selected a particular field to be private, then the e-mailthat has been transmitted to the content provider will not include thatinformation and will indicate that the information of the selectedprofile field was designated private by that particular subscriber. Ifcertain information is required by a content provider from the profile(e.g., the credit card information), then during the question sessionwith the subscriber, the subscriber may be prompted to verifyauthorization to release that information as required information tocomplete a particular question VPage.

Another feature of the present invention comprises the voice diaryfunctionality as described above. Specifically, recordation of telephonebased voice content from a particular content provider as describedabove. The system may provide functionality to save these voicerecordings in a voice diary database set aside for a particular contentprovider or other subscriber of the system. Accordingly, the systemoffers to subscribers and content providers the possibility to recordvoice messages and to manage a voice diary thus created. Access to agiven voice diary may be limited to the creator of the diary. UnlikeVPages, other members of the network may be screened from listening tothe voice created. A diary may contain several diary entries, each ofwhich may be thought of as a distinct audio clip. The subscriber, thus,may have a limit on the number of diary entries he can save or may becharged based on the size of entries in the voice diary. A diary entrymay have a description, which may be created when the voice recordingoccurs, or later through a web based interface to change the defaultsuch as, message one, message two, message three, etc. In thisembodiment, a subscriber may be someone who subscribes to the networkeither through a web interface or via a call center. The subscriber,thus, interacts with the network through several behaviors. Thesubscriber may browse the network, create content on the network, andthus be a content provider.

The system provides functionality to allow callers to record voicemessages via phone, browse voice messages via phone, play voice messagesvia the phone, and delete voice messages via the phone. Additionally,the callers may edit voice messages such as the description of the voicemessage via the web site, play voice messages via the web site, anddelete voice messages via the web site.

A subscriber may call into the network and choose to make a new diaryentry. When he does so, the system asks the subscriber to startrecording and when done, exit the system. For example, John Doe meetssomebody and that person gives John his name and telephone number. Johndoes not have a pen and paper and does not have PDA. After the personwalks away, John calls into the network and makes a new diary entry.John speaks into the phone all of the information he wants to rememberthen hangs up.

John may then go back and play the information through either the phoneor the web. Any previous entry may made available so long as it does notexceed a predetermined limit of messages and hasn't been deletedpreviously. On the telephone, this is done by going through a list ofall diary entries and playing each one in succession or skipping overcertain messages. On the web, the subscriber can choose amongst diaryentries and by selecting one receives a WAV file that he can play on hiscomputer. Specifically, John, upon arriving at his office, calls intothe network and chooses to play his diary entries. John finds themessage from before about the person's contact information and recordsthis information into the computer. John may then delete this voicediary information or save it for later access via phone or web.Subscribers can, thus, with multiple messages, browse through thevarious diary entries and choose actions with respect to the variousdiary entries. Suppose John Doe has a busy day at a convention and hasmany thoughts recorded for himself, such as “try out new softwareproduct by Microstrategy” and “read new reference book on XML.” The nextday, John may then call into the network, go through the diary entries,and play them one by one. He is able to skip over the ones he does notwant to hear and go to previous messages to listen to them again.

Through a web interface, descriptions may be typed in and associatedwith various diary entries to allow the subscriber to remember what thatparticular diary entry is about more specifically. For example, supposeJohn has multiple diary entries, some he desires to keep for posterityand diary entries which are only valid for a short period of time. Whenhe goes to the network web site, he may listen to the various entriesand enter descriptions of the entries. This can be used later on so thathe can make decisions as to which ones to keep and which ones to delete.

As described in greater detail below, the present invention also relatesto a system in which a plurality of different VPages are collected andmade available to subscribers of a system to enable them to findinformation and content about topics and subject matters of which theyare interested. To facilitate location of related VPages, each VPage maybe assigned a particular VCode which may be displayed in proximity tovarious items about which the pages relate. Additionally, it is anotherfeature of the present invention to provide a directory of VPages toallow subscribers to locate content and voice codes through a commoninterface system. As part of this system, the present invention mayorganize VPages into one or more directories which have categories,subcategories, and further sub-categories as desired to organize theVPages into a fashion that is easy to navigate to find information ofinterest. The organization of categories and sub-categories may bereferred to herein as a topology or other terminology to indicate ahierarchical structure of topics.

It should be appreciated that VPages may be categorized in one or morecategories, depending on the relevance of a particular category. Forexample, a particular VPage may relate to both restaurant informationand museum information, such as a VPage relating to a museum restaurant.Accordingly, VPage server systems 22 may provide modularity to performand enable content providers to select the categories in which theirVPages are to be placed through a VPage site management module 3802 asdepicted in FIG. 38. FIG. 38 is similar to FIG. 3 with the addition ofsite management module 3802, site search module 3804, and connection tothe VPage server and through communication network 68 by anadministrative user 3808, and the addition of VPage directory data 3806contained in database systems 50. Site management module 3802 enablescontent providers to select the categories in which their VPages are tobe placed. Site search module 3804 provides functionality to enable thesearch for VPages based on key words or other more specific parametersas described below.

It should be appreciated that in addition to content providers,administrative level users 3808 may connect to VPage server systems 22to organize VPages into a directory. For example, content providers maycontact an administration level user to request placement of a VPageinto certain categories, and the administration user 3808 may performthat functionality on behalf of the content provider. In addition, asdescribed below, placement of VPages in certain categories and forcertain key words may be based on a fee by the VNAP system 12.Accordingly, if a fee is not paid, an administration level user 3808 mayreorganize the VPage directory to remove VPages for which fees have notbeen paid. The fee arrangements with respect to placement of VPages inthe directory and in association with key words is described in detailbelow.

In addition, VNAP 12 may be provided with a VPage directory module 3902as shown in FIG. 39. VPage directory data may also be contained indatabase 18 which is accessible by the VPage directory module. VPagedirectory module 3902 is responsible for processing requests bysubscribers to search for or access contents within the VPage directoryto enable subscribers to identify VPages corresponding to topics orsubjects of interest to them.

To enable content providers to organize their VPages, a content providerinterface system may be provided via the web or telephone. An embodimentof a web based interface is depicted in FIG. 31 is provided by sitemanagement module 3802. As shown in FIG. 31, an interface 3100 maycomprise a listing of a plurality of main topics 3102, with sub-topics3104 displayed below that. Uses of hierarchy of topics within Internetenvironments is well known and the various combinations of these arehereby incorporated by reference as useable within the system toorganize VPages. A marketing message or other information may beprovided on 3106 until such time as the VPage content provider selectsone of the topics or sub-topics.

As shown in FIG. 32, upon selecting a topic and sub-topic listings offurther subtopics as shown in 3204 in FIG. 32, a heading 3202 isprovided that allows the content provider to navigate back or furtherthrough the topology. A VSite heading section 3206 provides informationfor the VPages from the subject including the VSite name in section3208, the VCode in section 3210, and the name of the content provider insection 3212.

It should be appreciated that whereas the interfaces shown in FIGS. 31and 32 comprise directory interfaces for use in a web embodiment,through the use of text to speech conversion, these or similardirectories may be presented to subscribers over the web and viatelephone to read out to the subscriber the contents of the directory.For example, as shown in FIG. 32, upon speaking or saying information tonavigate down to the list of restaurants within the society and cultureand food and drink category and subcategory, VPage directory module 3902may pass information through the various components of VNAP 12 to speakchoices for the various restaurants, VCodes and content providersdepicted in FIG. 32. In one embodiment, the choices may be alsopresented with a numeric entry to enable the subscriber to select thatVPage through the depressing of the number corresponding to it, or maysimply allow the subscriber to speak the name or VCode to transfer tothat particular VPage.

To enable the content provider to organize VPages that they havecreated, interface 2000 as shown in FIG. 20 may also include thefunctionality to transfer to a VSite directory interface such as VSitedirectory interface 3600 depicted in FIG. 36. Interface 3600 maycomprise a portion or all of the interface page depicted within agraphical user interface system. This interface may comprise a heading3602 indicating that a VSite is being edited, a VSite identifier 3604 toenable the content provider to select the site name and site number tobe edited, and a VPage specification portion 3605 that enables thecontent provider to select information about the particular site forpurposes of categorization. Specifically, a home page selection portion3606 may enable the content provider to select the home page for aparticular site when a subscriber enters that particular VSite. Locationmodules 3608, 3610, and 3612 enable the content provider to select city,state, zip code or other location specific information about the contentof the VSite. Additionally, the user may input the category orcategories for which this VSite should be listed. To assist the contentprovider in determining the categories, a category selection module 3616may be provided whereupon selection of the module, a separate categoryselection interface 3700 as shown in FIG. 37 may be presented to enablethe content provider to navigate from the available categories andselect the one or more categories to which the VSite is to beassociated. Additionally, interface 3600 may provide for entry of one ormore key words through key entry portions 3618. When the contentprovider is satisfied with the information provided, they may save theinformation through button 3620 or may cancel through button 3622.

It should also be appreciated that individual VPages within a VSite maybe specifically categorized with separate key words and locationinformation. For example, one VSite may relate to various golf courseswhereas each VPage may relate to specific golf courses at differentregions or different locales and therefore the location information maybe specified separately. Accordingly, interface 3600 may provide amechanism for selecting individual VPages within a VSite or VBook andspecifying the information contained in portion 3605 for each differentVPage within the VSite. It may be desirable to have a VSite have adefault categorization but one or more of the VPages in that VSite havea separate categorization. The content provider, thus, may specifyinformation for the VSite but then specifically select differentcategorizations and key word information for individual VPages.

Interface 3700 may provide heading information 3702 which enables thecontent provider to navigate up and down a topology and then selectionportions 3704 to enable the content provider to select a particularsub-category within the higher level categories shown in heading 3702.When the content provider is happy with the selections, the user mayenter or select button 3706 or if desired, may cancel this throughbutton 3708.

FIG. 33 depicts an embodiment of an interface that may be presentedeither via Internet or through text to speech conversion to subscribersover the telephone to enable them to search for and locate VPages ofinterest. In this embodiment, a search heading 3301 indicates that asearch is being provided and the text may be entered in portion 3302.Upon inputting text in section 3302, the subscriber may initiate asearch though search button 3304, or may cancel the search throughcancel button 3306. The results of the search may then be displayed inportion 3306 indicating the VSite name, VCode, and content provider thatfall within or meet the terms of the key words specified. The name maybe specified in the section 3308, the VCode in section 3310, and thecontent provider in section 3312.

It is also possible for subscribers to have bookmarked VPages or VSitesthat they desire to go to and may be easily accessible through the inputof specific key words or numeric sequences. Bookmark module 3314 may beprovided to add a selected VPage to the subscriber's bookmark list. Inaddition, link 3316 may be provided whereupon selection by thesubscriber, the selected VPage is activated and activated for thatparticular subscriber. Cancel button 3318 may be provided to cancel thesearch and return to the previous menu. It should be appreciated thatthese buttons may also be activated through functionality and functionkeys as options within an active VPage as described above.

It may also be desirable to provide a more detailed searching mechanismthat includes more specific parameters, in addition to key words. Anembodiment of a more specific search interface is shown in FIG. 34. Inthis embodiment, the subscriber may also specify categories and keywords and locations in which to search. The category heading 3402 may beprovided with selectable categories 3404. In addition, a heading for thelocation 3406 may be provided with drop down or other selectable boxesto select state information in section 3408, city information in section3410, and/or zip code information in section 3412. A reset button 3305may also be provided to enable the subscriber to clear the currententries to start afresh. Again, it should be appreciated that thedepicted interface may also be realized through the use of text tospeech conversion of the various fields within this interface to enablea subscriber to search for and identify VPages through a telephone basedmodule in addition to the web based module embodiment shown in FIGS. 33and 34. The results from the search of FIG. 34 may be presented in thesecond interface, such as 3500 in FIG. 35. The specific categories inputare shown in heading 3502, with the search results shown in section3306. Similarly, a new search button 3504 may be provided to enable thesubscriber to engage in a second search.

Through the functionality described above, content providers are able tochoose a location, one or more categories, and key words for theirvarious VPages. The content provider's VPages are then listed in theresults of subsequent searches on those parameters initiated bysubscribers. For example, a real estate agent may create a VPage thatshowcases houses available in the Vienna, Virginia area and want topublish this collection of VPages. The real estate engine may thenselect Vienna and Virginia and/or the zip code for the various homes inthe category real estate via the category selection interface and alsoselect key words house, sell and rent. A subsequent search on thoseparameters then generates the real estate agent's VPages forsubscribers.

It should also be appreciated that functionality may be provided toenable administration level users to manage the directory of VPages tocreate new categories, rename categories, move categories, and deletecategories.

In addition, the VSite directory module may provide functionality thatindicates VPages that have been added since the particular subscriber'slast visit or since a predetermined period of time and/or select mostpopular VPages. A database system may be maintained that keeps track ofthe most requested VPages to retrieve for the most popular and the mostpopular may be specified by category, sub-category, etc. The mostrecently added VPages may be based on a predetermined period of timesince the subscriber's last visit or may be within a predeterminedperiod of time, such as three days. A specific embodiment of how thesystem may be operable is described below.

For example, suppose a caller initiates a call to Angel.com, a specificembodiment of the systems above. The caller may then say directory, orgo to the global commands menu by pressing the zero button on thecaller's telephone. From the global commands menu, a choice may bepresented to the caller to go to the directory. The system may thenrequest that the caller identify the category that the caller would liketo browse, and after a small pause, the system plays a file where ahuman voice reads out all of the categories at the top level of thedirectory. Before, during, and after the categories have been read out,the system listens for user response. The response should be matchedagainst a grammar defined as the set of all sub-categories in thepresent category. If the caller wants to browse a category, he maysimply say its name, or input a numeric input indicated as correspondingto that sub-category. If the caller wishes to be told what sites areavailable in the current category, the caller may say “sites” or someother indicating word. Upon input of sites, the caller is forwarded to apage describing all of the available sites. For example, the VPageswithin a particular category may be read out to the following passage:“Five sites were found. The Redskins' official site by Brad Johnson,choose your favorite Redskin by Daryl Green, . . . etc.”

While a site is being read, and during the small pause that follows, thesite being read is the current site. The caller can say visit to betransferred to that site. If he says back, he should be returned to thedirectory to the point where the caller left off. The caller can saydescription to hear current site description information. If the callerin the sites page says categories, the caller should be forwarded to thecategory page where the site resides. If a caller says up in either thesites or category page, the caller may be taken to the parent categoryof the current category or to the parent category of the category towhich the current site belongs. If the current category is the topcategory, then the up command may hold the caller in the currentcategory.

These commands for browsing also may have a DTMF or numeric inputequivalent. Subscribers should also be able to access categories bysaying the directory tree down to that particular category, such assports, tennis, Wimbledon. Subscribers may also find categories by keywords by saying the key words in which he is interested. The system thenperforms a search on these key words and returns only the categoriesthat match. The categories are read out to the subscriber and a smallpause between categories may be presented whereby the subscriber canselect one of the categories by saying the term visit. The system alsoenables subscribers to hear sites related to the current site. Suppose acaller is browsing any page on a particular VSite and desires to knowwhat other similar sites are available on the network. As the user isbrowsing, the user can say go to related sites or press an equivalentkey in the DTMF system. In response, the directory module takes thecaller to the category in which the site is categorized. The categoryinformation is then read to the user starting with the sites and thecaller may then say categories to go to the listing of sub-categoriesfor the particular category.

A content manager or administrative user may also like to modify thegrammar of a category which is the set of key words identifying theavailable sub-categories. A content manager may log into the network,access a view of the directory that would contain the same elements asthe standard user view plus a few extra controls. After browsing to acategory, a list of the direct sub-categories appears. Alongside eachcategory, a text box appears where a content manager can editcorresponding key words. The content manager may also like to modify thesound file associated with a category. The sound file may be used toread to a caller what categories or subcategories are available at thepresent category. To do so, a content manager may log into the networkand access a view which contains a list of the categories to be edited.Content manager may press an upload button to upload a sound file thatcontains the audio to be read out indicting the contents of thatparticular category. Also, text to speech conversion can be provided toread out categories and sub-categories instead of using sound files ifdesired by the system.

As described in detail below, the system enables transactions to beprocessed through various VPages as well. As part of the system, a usermay be prompted to provide information necessary to complete atransaction, such as a payment device. Given the need for security andon-line and over the phone transactions, the system may provide for theincorporation of various payment mechanisms within various VPages toenable subscribers to pay to complete transactions with the particularVPages or VSites through a third party payment processing means withouthaving to provide credit card information or other specific paymentidentification. As such, the user systems 14 as shown in FIG. 39 maystore payment information 3960. The payment module 3952 may be providedthat cooperates with transaction processing module 44. Paymentprocessing systems 3950 may be accessible over communications network 16by the VNAP 12. In particular, upon reaching a particular VPage thatrequires payment information to complete a transaction, a subscriber 14,instead of providing credit card, electronic check or other on-linepayment identifiers, may provide a specific unique identifier that isknown by the payment processing mechanism. Payment module 3952 may thenaccess payment processing system 3950 to obtain the payment information.Essentially, this provides a third-party intermediary to validate andverify payment information to minimize security problems.

Further, by allowing the user to provide less than all of the fieldsnecessary to complete a transaction and storing the remaining fields ofinformation at the payment processing system 3950, the user nevertransmits all of the information needed to complete the transaction.Therefore, for example, the credit card number is not transmitted by theuser over the telephone to the VPage, but rather a username and passwordare provided. This minimizes opportunities for interception of thecredit card information. The payment processing system 3950 may transmitthe other fields for the transaction over a secure or private line tothe payment module on the VPage system to thus reduce the possibilityfor interception of that information.

A third-party entity calling itself “Payment Helper” may set up aservice to enable subscribers to the VPage network to register theircredit card and other information and obtain a response a user name andpassword. This third-party vendor may also register with VNAP 12 to beauthorized to provide payment. When a subscriber reaches a transactionprocessing module, the VPage may provide the option to pay via PaymentHelper, in which case the subscriber is prompted to provide selectedinformation, such as user name and password. As such, credit cardinformation is not transmitted over the communication network in whichthe subscriber is communicating. The payment module 3952 may make averification through the communication network to payment processingmodule 3950 to authorize the subscriber to make that payment. Payment isthen made through the third-party payment processing system 3950 to theVPage recipient of the transaction or may be passed through such thatVNAP 12 makes the payment and then receives reimbursement from paymentprocessing system 3950. In addition, subscribers may open an account andmaintain a balance of fluids with payment processing system 3950 out ofwhich payment is made. Accordingly, no credit card is actually involvedin any transaction, but rather funds are withdrawn out of the accountmaintained by the subscriber with the payment processing service. Thisembodiment is known as a telephone-system wallet. Other payment systemsand method are described below.

One of the improvements provided herein is the provision of a VSite andVPage directory system to enable subscribers to locate VPages ofinterest. As part of the directory, the VNAP system 12 may charge a feefor placement of VPages or VSites within the directory. The fee may be aflat fee, may be based on a percentage of visitors to the network thatselect that particular VPage, may be based on location of the particularVPage within the category as presented, may be based on the type andnumber of keywords with which it is associated, may be a bid forplacement scheme in which the greater amount that a particular VPageprovider pays the higher the page will be placed in the VPage directory,or any combination of these and other fee arrangements. In anotherembodiment, content providers may be charged per link through from thecontent directory to their VPage. It is also possible that an exchangefor being listed on the content directory, any links that result intransactions by the subscriber result in payment by the content providerof a percentage of the revenue to the content directory service.Accordingly, it is possible for the content directory service to beoperated by a third party to encourage increased exposure and revenuegeneration for all participants in the system.

FIGS. 40-47 illustrate other examples of user interfaces that may beused to provide the functionality described above for creating VPagesand managing VPages by a user. FIG. 40 may be used to create a new voicepage, message page, question page or call transfer page, delete a voicepage, edit a voice page or sort the voice pages by type, page name orpage number. FIG. 41 may be used to edit the site name and description,change the home page of a VSite, request a phone number dedicated to aVSite, or toggle the Public/Private property (and define a passcode).FIG. 42 may be used to add site keywords (i.e., associate a voice pagewith one or several keywords). When a caller says the keyword within theVSite, the user will be automatically taken to the VPage specified.Through this page, the user may also delete a site keyword.

FIG. 43 may be used to download one of a user's voice sites in a .CSVfile or upload the structure and content of a VSite from a .CSV file.FIG. 44 may be used to create content for a message type VPage,including updating the page number, page name and page description,updating the content of the page, modifying the digitized voice text(read by a text-to-speech engine to the caller), load another soundfile, delete the current sound file, record a new message over thetelephone, add links, delete links, and update links with new sitenumber, page number and/or page keyword information.

FIG. 45 may be used to create a question type VPage, including updatingthe page number, page name and page description, updating the content ofthe page, modifying the digitized voice text, load another sound file,delete the current sound file, record a new message, select the type ofresponse (recording, number, yes/no, date, time or currency), or definethe automatic voice page link.

FIG. 46 may be used to create a call transfer VPage including updatingthe page number, page name and page description, updating the content ofthe page, modifying the digitized voice text, loading another soundfile, deleting the current sound file, or defining the phone number towhich the caller is to be transferred.

FIG. 47 may be used to update user profile information including name,billing address, email, phone access, and PIN, add phone numbers andselect the instant property for each phone number.

These systems and methods described above may be used in a VCode systemthat provides access to voice content by entry of a VCode or VName. Inone embodiment, a VCode comprises a VBook identifier portion and a VPageidentifier portion separated by the asterisk and concluded by the poundcharacter, such as 76484766426*2777223#.

VCodes may also be specified with alphanumeric strings, using thestandard telephone system for mapping letters to digits (A, B, and C mapto the number 2, D, E, F to 3, etc.). Thus the above VCode could bespecified as:

-   -   SMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE#

In this embodiment, the first field of a VCode—the VBookidentifier—refers to the VBook. In this example, the VBook has VBookidentifier

-   6484766426/SMITHSONIAN.

The second field of a VCode—the VPage identifier—refers to the specificVPage on the VBook. It may be a single numeric string, such as thisabove example of 24777223/AIRSPACE. It may also be a series of numericstrings—including even the empty string. Thus a VCode could resemble anyof the following:

-   -   SMITHSONIAN#    -   SMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE#    -   SMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE*APOLLO13#    -   SMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE*APOLLO13*STORE#

According to one embodiment of the invention, a VCode system 10 isprovided. The VCode system 10 comprises one or more VNAPs 12 connectableto a plurality of users 14 over a communications network 16. Each VNAP12 may comprise a plurality of VNAP databases 18. Additionally, VNAP 12may connect over a communications network 20 to one or more VPage serversystems 22 and a VCode registration system 24. Through VCode system 10,users 14 connect to the VNAP 12 to receive content corresponding to oneor more selected VCodes. User 14 may utilize any type and combination ofequipment that enables input of voice or other content and receipt ofvoice content, including telephones, wireless phones, personal digitalassistants, and other devices. Communications network 16 may comprise aLAN, WAN, telephone network, a wireless phone network, a digitalnetwork, a cable network, a satellite communications network, a PCSnetwork, the Internet, or other networks or combinations of networksthat enable communications between users and a VNAP. VNAP 12 may deliverthe content out of VNAP databases 18 or, based on the VCode, providecontent from one or more of the VPage server systems 22.

VNAP database 18 may comprise any database capable of storing text,sound files or other content and may reside either locally within a VNAP12 or externally over a connection of networks. VNAP database 18 maystore content provider/source information to be able to track who isresponsible for which VPages. That information may include name,address, contact information, listings of all VPages and Vbooksprovided, VCodes corresponding thereto, account information for thatprovider and other such information. VNAP database 18 may also storeuser statistics in order to the VNAP to track usages by different users.Those statistics may comprise user identification, number of VPagesaccesses, identity of all VPages accessed, time of each access,transactions undertaken by that user, amount of transactions undertakenand all other information a VNAP or content provider may desire toacquire to better leverage and service its customers. Communicationsnetwork 20 may comprise any suitable network similar to network 16 andmay comprise the same network as network 16. VPage server systems 22 maycomprise systems for retrieving one or more pages of content based onthe VCodes or other input entered by the user. VCode registration system24 may comprise a system for assigning VCodes to VPages.

According to one embodiment, VCode registration system 24 comprises adatabase system that indexes VPages by VCode, which as described above,comprises a unique combination of VBook identifier and VPage identifierportions. The VNAP system retrieves information from VCode registrationsystem 24 to retrieve VPages. Each entry in the VCode registrationsystem stores the source location of the content (e.g., URL, diskstorage location, database, IP address, network path, etc.), permissionson who is allowed to view content, description of the voice content,billing information, resale information and the format of the content(e.g., TML, VoiceXML, WML). Other fields (metadata elements) may beprovided that describe the content of the Vpage. These metadata elementscan assist in indexing content by subject, or in conjunction with searchengines. That metadata may include a description of the VPage andkeywords to aid in using a search engine to locate the VPage.

For each VBook, a main VPage may be stored. Therefore, when a subscriberenters only the VBook identifier, then the main VPage is retrieved andthe pages with different VPage identifiers for that VBook may be cachedbecause it is likely that the subscriber may be accessing them.Therefore, the subscriber may enter the VBook identifier only once andmay access all VPages in that VBook by entering only the VPageidentifier portion. When the subscriber moves to another VBook, thecache may be cleared according to one embodiment.

According to another embodiment, it may be desired to provide multipleVCodes for the same VPage. For example, different content providers mayactually “sell” the same VPage and therefore desire to have a separateVCode for that VPage. To handle VCode aliasing, each VPage may beassigned a VPage ID. The relationship between VPage ID and correspondingVPage may be one-to-one (whereas the VCode-to-VPage relationship may bemany to one). In this embodiment, the VCode registration system 24comprises a VPage database indexed by VPage ID and a VCode lookup tablethat indexes VCodes to VPage IDs.

Also, the VCode registration system 24 may utilize the two-portion VCodestructure in indexing the database. In this case, VPage IDs are replacedwith Book VPage IDs and Indicator VPage IDs. In this situation, therelationships VBook:Book VPage ID and VPage Indicator:Indicator VPage IDare each “one to many.” Lookup tables provide mapping of these values. Amain lookup table provides an index by a primary key comprising at leastthe Book VPage ID and Indicator VPage ID. In this case, the VBook may beindependently aliased from the VPage Indicator (and the VPage Indicatorindependently of the VBook). This embodiment allows for a voice contentprovider to have multiple VBooks without having to explicitly alias eachVCode (or multiple VPage Indicators without having to explicitly aliaseach VCode).

In the case of VNames, ASR-specific grammar information or possibly aspecification of the VCode's location in a hierarchical structure may beused to index VNames to VCodes/VPage IDs.

In one embodiment, the VBook may be assigned by VCode registrationsystem 24 and the Voice content provider is free to choose any VPageidentifier naming scheme that satisfies the above format. This givesvoice content providers the ability to structure their available voicecontent in their own hierarchical manner.

A voice content provider (VCP) company may want a number of VCodeprefixes to map to its site. For instance the Smithsonian Institutionmay want the above SMITHSONIAN (easy-to-remember) as well as theeasy-to-type 44SMI. In this case, multiple numeric strings (76484766426and 44765) would map to the same voice content provider in VCoderegistration system 24. Further, a VCP may choose to have a number ofVPage Indicator values map to the same VPage on its site. ThusSMITHSONIAN*AIRSPACE# and SMITHSONIAN*AIR# might both map to the samecontent.

A more detailed description of the contents of VNAP 12 may be understoodwith reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 7. First, a user registers with theVNAP and accordingly a VNAP registration/subscription module 47 isprovided. VNAP 12 may also comprise a user pre-registration andpersonalization module 47 that enables users to contact VNAP andestablish an account for billing and personalization purposes. Topre-register, the user may input name, address, contact information,payment mechanism information, preferences, demographic information,language, etc. Other types of information requested during registrationmay be input and stored as well. The VNAP may assign the user with aregistration number that may be used to access VPages over the VNAP 12.Further, the user may personalize how services are to be billed, mayinput payment information for use in transaction processing, and mayselect personalization features for delivery of voice content, includingspecification of information for use by voice personalization module 40.User preregistration and personalization module 47 may also be known asa subscription module 47 herein and these terms are meant to beinterchangeable.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, subscriptionmodule 47 may provide a web subscription interface to enable potentialsubscribers to connect over the worldwide web in order to sign up forVPage services. FIG. 8 depicts embodiments of graphical user interfacesthat may be presented as part of a web interface to users in order tosubscribe to the VNAP system and modify their subscription as well. Afirst screen 800 may be automatically presented upon logging into theweb interface. This screen may provide a log in and password fields toenable existing subscribers to log in and change their registration orpersonalization information. If a user is not already a subscriber, thena subscribe now button may be provided to enable a potential subscriberto participate in an online subscription process. Upon selecting thesubscribe now button, a subscription interface 802 may be presented tothe user. Subscription interface 802 may request a number of differenttypes of information about the subscriber in order to more effectivelypersonalize the voice content provided by the VNAP system.

According to one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 8, the subscriber'sname, telephone numbers, mailing address, credit card information andpasswords may be requested. Specifically, multiple credit cardinformation may be input to enable the user to later on choose which ofa plurality of credit cards to which to charge transaction feesencountered upon utilizing the system. Further, a password may berequested for authentication as described in detail below. By choosing apassword, the user may better protect access to its VNAP accountinformation and charges to that account. Specifically, in addition tousing the telephone numbers provided for caller identification, the VNAPsystem may authenticate the user through requesting that the user inputthe password chosen during the subscription process. Additionally,subscription interface 802 may provide a plurality of buttons to enablethe user to move to different interfaces to input additionalinformation, cancel the subscription, or accept the subscription.Subscription interface 802 may comprise a billing options button 804, anauthentication button 806, a voice settings button 808, a favoritesbutton 810, an OK button 812, and a cancel button 814. Billing optionsbutton 804 may be selected by the user to access the graphical userinterface that enables the user to alter the billing options for hissubscription to the VNAP system. For example, the subscriber may beprovided the option of buying a credit plan which provides a cheaper percredit rate.

Voice settings button 808 may be provided to enable the subscriber tomodify the voice settings for the voice output for the VNAP system.These settings may, for example, modify the output of the text-to-speech(TTS) engine. The settings therefore may apply to voice output fromtext-based files and, according to one embodiment, not to pre-storedaudio files. According to another embodiment, the settings may apply toall audio output.

Modifications are helpful because, for example, the user may want tocustomize the tone, speed, volume, language, gender, etc. of the voicethat generates the output. A favorites button 810 may also be providedthat upon selection enables the subscriber to input a list of favoriteVPages for easy access to those VPages. The favorites page may comprisea listing of VPages, VCodes and aliases for those VPages (e.g., a usermay use “my newspaper” for the Washington Post VPage).

The subscription may also comprise a dynamic entry point to the currentlocation of the user using GPS technology in a mobile phone. When acaller calls into the system, the system authenticates the user bycaller id, determines if the user is calling from a mobile phone andidentifies where the user is calling from. From this point on, the usermay ask questions and the responses may be personalized to the user'slocation (e.g., where am I? What restaurants are nearby?).

Also, an authentication button 806 may be provided that upon selectionpresents a graphical user interface to enable the user to select thelevel of authentication desired for their use of the VNAP system. Thedefault level of authentication may be caller identification using thetelephone numbers provided in the subscription interface. Also, a usermay desire to use address, credit card or other information to verifythe identity of the user. Using caller identification alone allowsanyone who gets a hold of a phone and calls the VNAP system to use thepersonal settings of the phone owner. Using additional levels ofauthentication, however, provide greater security to the subscriber toprevent misuse of the VNAP system. If additional levels ofauthentication are input in the subscription phase, the VNAP systemrequests that information during log in each time the user enters thenetwork. Password based authentication mode is another option. The userselects a password through the subscription interface and that passwordmay be requested each time the user enters the network. Also, users mayrequest voice print identification as another level of authentication.In this embodiment, the user records a voice print through thesubscription interface, and that voice print is compared to the user'svoice when the user logs onto the network for accessing the VNAP system.

Once all of these settings are selected, the user may select OK button812. Alternatively, if the user wishes to cancel the changes or inputsentered by the subscriber, then cancel button 814 might be selected.Once all of the settings are selected and the OK button 812 is entered,the customer is notified that the subscription is over, and that accessto the VNAP system will be provided within a predetermined amount oftime. At that time, the subscriber may access the VNAP system. The nexttime the subscriber visits the subscriber interface, he or she may login using the log in name and password to make modifications to thesubscription. The subscription process described is extremely simplifiedfor all users, since no hardware or software set ups are required. Auser may visit the VNAP web page only once, unless he or she intends tobe a content provider and/or unless he or she wants to make changes tothe subscriber profile. In allowing users to manage administrativeoptions, this user administration site provides them with a simple andintuitive GUI. This site may greet users with a main page askingregistered users to log in and inviting guests to register. Registeredusers who log in are presented with the main menu and guests who electto register are presented with the registration page.

The main menu allows the following links: My Profile, My Billing, MyPreferences, and My Content.

“My Profile” brings up the Profile Administrator. According to oneembodiment, this section may allow users to: View/set/change Full Name,View/set/change Nickname, View/set/change Address(es), View/set/changePhone number(s), View/set/change Email(s), etc. “My Billing” brings upthe Billing Administrator. It allows users to set and change billingoptions. “My Preferences” links users to a page that allows users tochange their TTS settings preferences (male/female, speed, pitch, etc.).“My Content” may provide links to subscriber-provided content in theVNAP system to enable a user to create, modify, or delete contentprovided on the system.

As depicted in FIG. 2, VNAP 12 may also comprise a plurality of modulesto enable delivery of content to users based on the input of VCodescorresponding to the content. Specifically, VNAP 12 may comprise a callcenter 26 for receiving input of VCodes and delivery of content.

Access to the call center 28 may be through a predetermined phone numberor communications protocol on a voice-enabled device as described abovein the summary. A VCode identifier module 28 may be provided fordetermining the VCode input by the user. VCode identifier module 28 mayutilize an indexed database of VCodes and corresponding VPages that itmay access directly or over a network, and/or may utilize a VCoderesolution system 30 that may be external to VNAP 12 to assist VCodeidentifier module 28 in determining the identity and location of theVPage corresponding to the VCode entered. VNAP 12 may also comprise aVPage retrieval system 32 for retrieving a VPage corresponding to theVCode entered by the user either from VNAP database 18 or overcommunications network 20 to one or more of the VPages servers 22. VCoderesolution module 30 may communicate with VPage registration system 24to access an up-to-date database of VCodes and corresponding VPages andreturn that information to the VCode identifier module 28.

VCode resolution module 30 may retrieve VPages that are not in a localVPage registry. VCode resolution module 30 may also periodically updatethe local VPage registry to make sure that it is up-to-date. To expeditedelivery of VPages, VPage retrieval system 32 may also retrieve allVPages from the selected VBook and store those VPages in cache forsubsequent delivery. For example, if the VCode input by the user relatesto the Smithsonian Monet's Water Lillies, it may be desirable for theVPage retrieval system 32 to retrieve all Smithsonian VPages and storethem in cache since it is likely that this user will request additionalSmithsonian VPages. By storing these VPages in cache, the user's waittime is significantly reduced.

Upon retrieval of the VPage corresponding to the VCode entered, a VPageexecution module 34 may be provided for executing the content of theVPage. Execution of the content may include playing the content,scanning the VPage for certain tags or markers to include other VPageinformation, generate call menus and other tasks. VPage execution module34 may coordinate with a VPage menu module 36 that is provided withinVNAP 12. VPage menu module 36 presents, receives and interprets menuoptions presented in a VPage. VPage menu module 36 may comprise a TMLinterpretation module that utilizes TML/VoiceXML or other voice-basedXML file formats as the VPages to understand the menus that are to bepresented to the user to enable the user to maneuver within the system,as described in the Appendix hereto. VPage menu module 36 may alsocomprise a VoiceXML interpretation module, a Nuance Grammar or SpeechWorks specification language module or a Java Speech grammar formatmodule. VPage menu module 36 may interpret predefined menu options anddetermine which of the options to execute based on choices selected bythe user from a choice interpretation module 42, as described below.

VNAP 12 may also comprise a voice output generation module 38 foroutputting voice signals. Voice output generation module 38 may playvoice files, may comprise a text-to-voice conversion module for“reading” text files as voice output or any other type of module fortaking a data file and generating voice output to be directed by inputoutput module 26 to the appropriate user. Optionally, a voicepersonalization module 40 may be provided that enables a user to selectpersonalized features for the voice content. Personalization featuresmay include tone, pitch, language, speed, gender, volume, accent, andother voice options that a user may desire to make the information moreunderstandable or desirable.

Voice personalization module 40 modifies how voice output generationmodule 38 generates voice content to correspond to the user's desiredchoices. The voice personalization features may be set by a user uponsubscribing and automatically applied when that user logs into thesystem. Personalization module 40 retrieves information from subscriberdatabase once he logs onto the VNAP. In doing so, the caller does notneed to specify his information at any point during the session. If heis filling out a form or running a transaction, his pre-fetchedinformation is placed where necessary. Personalization module 40 alsomay present the user with a portal VPage, allowing the user quick accessto the content they frequently access. Personalization module 40 alsomay access the user's bookmarks or customized applications stored in thesubscriber database 80. Also, if VPages store user specific information,then personalization module 40 may retrieve that information.Personalization module 40 may also allow users to modify speech outputsettings as described above.

VNAP 12 may also comprise a choice interpretation module 42 that may beused to interpret responses from users, such as those based on menuoptions. Choice interpretation module 42 cooperates with VPage menumodule 36 and call center 26 to enable VNAP 12 to respond to userrequests based on menu options presented within a VPage. For example, ifthe menu provided by the VPage includes five options, choiceinterpretation module 42 may determine which of the five options toexecute based on the; input received through call center 26 from theuser. If the user presses the number 1 on the telephony device, thenchoice interpretation module 42 generates a signal that indicates toVPage menu module 36 to execute choice 1. Choice interpretation module42 may comprise a more complicated system as well. Various call menutechnologies generally are known and can be used. The user may also beable to respond with voice-based choices. Choice interpretation module42 then uses voice-to-text conversion, natural language interpretationand/or artificial intelligence to determine which of the available menuoptions the user desires, as described in greater detail below withreference to FIG. 17. Other systems for interpreting and executing usermenu choices may also be used for choice interpretation module 42. Oneof the choices available to a user from any VPage may be to selectanother VPage. A user may do so by inputting the VCode (includingverbally saying the VName corresponding to the VCode) for the contentdesired. If the VPage desired is from the same VBook as the presentVPage that the user is receiving, then the user may only input the VPageidentifier from the VCode or speak the VPage portion of the VName (e.g.,Monet's Water Lillies) to receive that desired VPage.

Additionally, a transaction processing module 44 may be provided forprocessing transactions presented in a VPage. Transactions should beunderstood in a broad sense to include purchase of goods, request forservices, making or changing reservations, requesting information, andany other type of transaction that may be performed by a telephone orother information exchange system. Additionally, a transactionprocessing module 44 may be provided within VPage server system 22 asdescribed in detail below. Transaction processing module 44 maycooperate with transaction processing systems 13 to process varioustransactions.

VNAP 12 may also comprise a billing module 46 for monitoring user'saccess to various VPages and enabling VNAP 12 to allocate fees receivedfrom the user to system participants including VNAPs, content providers,VPages, VCode display hosts, transaction processors, and others. Billingmodule 46 may be used to record the time a user logs into the VNAP 12,to record times when users access new VPages, to record when usersperform transactions, and other types of information that may be usedfor determining how to allocate fees received from the user foraccessing the VNAP.

Billing module 46 may compute time spent and VPages accessed on the VNAPfor each VPage. In one embodiment, it receives a credit value for theVPage as specified by the content provider and calculates the charges ona minutely basis throughout the caller's session. This information maybe stored in the user statistics database 82 and/or VNAP database 18.Billing module 36 may track the following information. For each call, itmay track time of day/day of week, call duration, call origin, VPagesvisited, etc. For each VPage, it may track “hit” frequency, revenuegenerated, demographics, etc. It may also track the advertisementspresented, transactions performed, and other information.

Authentication/Security module 45 authenticates users that dial into theVNAP, as described above, and may also provide for network security.Authentication may be set either by the user or by the voice contentprovider. For example, a content provider may impose an authenticationmode for visitors viewing his VPage. In this situation, in oneembodiment, the more extensive of the two settings is applied as thevalid authentication mode. For instance, Jack selects default caller idauthentication. One of his favorite VPages, Ticket Master, however,imposes the password based authentication mode. Every time Jack dialsinto Ticket Master's VPage, he is prompted for his subscriber login andpassword. For other pages, which do not impose anything other than thedefault authentication, Jack retrieves them without an extraauthentication process. Conversely if Jack had selected password-basedauthentication, he is prompted for a password at each VPage regardlessof whether the VPage is default authentication or not. This way Jack notonly prevents others from abusing his personal information duringtransactions but also ensures that they do not waste his credits bylistening to content in the network.

Also, authentication module 45 may prevent attacks from the telephonenetwork, LAN, Internet or other access points. Further, authenticationmodule 45 may disconnect a user after a predetermined period ofinactivity.

VNAP 12 may communicate with one or more content providers 70 for thereceipt of information or other voice content to be included in VPagesoffered by that VNAP. Content providers may deliver information to aVNAP in the manner described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5.

FIG. 3 depicts a system for enabling content providers to providecontent to VPage server systems 22. As mentioned above, VPage serversystem 22 may comprise a transaction processing module 44. Additionally,VPage server may comprise a VPage retrieval module 52 for accessingVPage databases 50 to retrieve VPages that are requested from the VPageserver 22. Additionally, VPage server 22 may comprise a VPage storageengine 54 for receiving information and storing it in VPage database 50.A VPage organizational module 56 may also be provided to track andorganize the various VPages within the VBooks hosted by VPage serversystem 22 and to organize the various VBooks maintained by VPage serversystem 22.

VPage translation system 58 may be provided for the purpose oftranslating text-based VPage data that is stored in VPage database 50into voice communications. Additionally, an e-mail/FTP processing system60 may be provided for receiving information via e-mail or FTP andstoring that information through VPage storage engine 54 into VPagedatabase 50. Voice-to-text system 62 may be provided by VPage server 22to enable content providers to call in to VPage server system 22 anddirectly record voice content and store the content in the VPagedatabase as text. A voice recorder 64 may be provided to record voiceinformation and store it directly as a sound file in VPage database 50or may pass voice files to voice-to-text system 62 to convert the voicefiles to text for storage in the database. XML-based voice contentinterpreter 66 may be provided for compiling, creating and interpretingXML-based voice content VPages, such as TML, VoiceXML, WML or others. Asdescribed in detail below, TML is a mark-up language based on XML. TMLstands for Telecaster Markup Language which is a proprietary language ofMicrostrategy Incorporated. A detailed description of TML and how itoperates is incorporated as an Appendix to this application. A pluralityof content providers 70 may provide content to a VNAP 12. Contentproviders may provide voice content to be included in VPages to theVPage server 22 from a plurality of different mechanisms. Suchmechanisms include using an FTP server 72, electronic mail 74, handdelivery or a TML compiler 76 that then transfers TML files via eitherFTP, e-mail or a hand delivery (i.e., via disk) to the VPage server 22to be stored on a VPage database 50. Content providers 70 may providefiles in sound, text or other format through FTP 72, e-mail 74, or TMLcompiler 76. Each of these files may be provided over a network 68.Network 68 may include a network similar to networks 16 and 20 and maycomprise the same network as networks 16 and/or 20.

VPage server 22 may also comprise a content provider web interface 65that enables content providers to be able to input VPage content intothe system. Specifically, a web base interface may be provided to enablecontent providers to be able to specify various information about aVPage that they are providing to the network. That information mayinclude the name of the VPage, the format that the VPage is in, themethod of charging and selecting whether or not that content may beresold to another VPage. According to one embodiment, a web interfacemay be provided that first presents a user with one or more of thefollowing options: to modify a subscription profile; to modify anexisting VPage; create a new VPage; order labels and brochures for aVPage; review statistics regarding the use of one or more VPagesprovided by that voice content provider; and review account status withthe VNAP. Corresponding interfaces for each of these options may beprovided to enable the content provider to effectuate one of thoseoptions. The statistics review GUI may display to the voice contentprovider the number of users, time spent by users, and other relevantstatistics. This may comprise a set of reports given by a data miningtool, such as MicroStrategy Web, offered by the assignee of the presentinvention, and the analysis given is limited only by the type of dataseen. For instance, it may be possible to show a VCP what other pagesusers who frequent their pages go to, and demographics of users who seetheir pages.

FIG. 10 depicts an embodiment of another embodiment of a contentcreation tool with a graphical user interface system that may beprovided to enable a content provider to create a new VPage or modify anexisting VPage. FIG. 10(a) depicts a screen 1002 for VPage configurationentry. Screen 1002 provides a name field 1004, a format field 1006, aselection box 1008 that enables the content provider to enable apermanent charge, a credit permanent entry box 1009, a selection box1010 that enables the content provider to select whether to enableresale, a resale rate entry box 1011, a visitor authentication box 1012and innexed box 1014. Name entry field 1004 may be provided to enablethe content provider to select a name for the particular VPage. The nameselected may be the VName, for example. Ideally, content providers namethe page intelligently to enable users of the system to be able toretrieve that VPage by simply pronouncing the VName. Accordingly, theVName selected ideally should be one that is easily pronounceable by auser through speech recognition technology.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10(a), the content provider here, for example,the content manager for the Smithsonian, desires to create a VPage forthe Van Gogh sunflowers painting. Accordingly, the Smithsonian managerdecides to name this particular VPage sunflowers and inputs that intoname field 1004. The particular page being created here may be a VMLtype of page, and accordingly, the manager may input VML in the formatfield 1006. Further, the manager may decide to enable a permanent chargefor the use of this page in order to generate revenue for theSmithsonian Museum. Accordingly, box 1008 may be selected as depicted inFIG. 10(a). Also, the manager may select to input two as the credits perminute charge for accessing this VPage in the field 1009. Here, theSmithsonian manager may decide not to enable resale and accordingly maynot select 1010.

Visitor authentication button 1012 may be provided to enable to contentprovider to select the level of authentication required in order toaccess this VPage configuration page. A content provider may desirehigher levels of security to protect the consumer and the contentprovider. For example, a VPage may contain a link to transactions wherethe content provider is using credit card numbers of the user. In thatcase, the content provider may want to authenticate the caller to makesure the transactions are secure.

Specifically, the content provider may be able to select betweendifferent levels of authentication in order to protect the security ofthe page. One level of authentication may involve caller identificationwhereby a user desiring to access this VPage is authenticated based oncaller id. Also, an identification number and password (e.g., a personalidentification number or PIN) may be assigned, either to a series ofVPages or to each individual VPage. Accordingly, in order to access theVPage configuration for a particular VPage, a user may be requested toinput user identification and password in order to access the VPageconfiguration. Also, voice print authentication may also be utilized ifdesired to require that the user authenticate his identity by speakingthrough a microphone to the VPage configuration site before retrieving aparticular VPage. For example, one authentication method may compriseassigning each subscriber a registered phone number (e.g., a mobilephone number). If the user calls the VNAP from the registered phonenumber, the VNAP asks for a PIN to start a session. If the user callsfrom a different phone number, then the user is prompted to input theregistered phone number and PIN before entering a session. Other methodsof authentication may also be provided to enable the content provider toselect the level of authentication that that content provider feelscomfortable with in controlling the VPage content and transaction datarelated to a particular VPage or VBook.

Once the content provider has established the VPage configuration asdesired, next button 1014 may be selected to move to structure page 1020as depicted in FIG. 10(b). Structure page 1020 displays a graphicalrepresentation of a dialog tree structure. This page enables contentproviders to create a tree of dialogues. According to one embodiment ofthe present invention, a dialog may be a basic unit of content in anygiven VPage. When a content provider gets to the structure page thefirst time, there is only one dialog waiting to be modified. The contentprovider may then select that dialog and hit the modify dialog button1024 in structure page 1020. When multiple dialogues have been created,the user may remove dialogues by selecting remove dialog button 1026after highlighting or otherwise selecting the desired dialog to delete.Examples of dialog tree structures are depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13 asdescribed in more detail below.

When the content provider selects the modified dialog button 1024, adialog page 1028 may be presented to the content provider. The dialogpage may be provided to enable the content provider to specify varioussettings for each particular dialog within the VPage. According to oneembodiment, dialog page 1028 may comprise a dialog name field 1030, anadd child button 1032, a dialog type field 1034, a record audio button1038, a hear audio button 1036, a write text button 1040, a contentlocation entry field 1042, a child listing area 1044, a link listingarea 1046, an enable dialog security selection button 1048.

Each dialog may be given a separate name to enable the user tounderstand the flow of dialogues within a particular VPage. In theexample of FIG. 10(b), a Smithsonian content provider has selecteddetails as the name of the first dialog to which any user is presentedwhen selecting the VPage for the Smithsonian sunflowers page. In dialogtype field 1034, the content provider may select the type of dialog. Thedialog types may include text or audio format. Here, the user hasselected a text field and therefore may press button right text 1040 inorder to create text or may specify the location of a file in contentlocation field 1042.

If the user desires to add a child to a particular dialog box, then thecontent provider may depress add child button 1032 and may be presentedwith an additional dialog page for the new dialog being created. If thedialog type is an audio format, the user may either record audio bydepressing button 1038 or hear audio by depressing hear audio button1036. Record audio button 1038 enables for the recording or modificationof audio clips using the web interface provider.

According to one embodiment, by depressing this button, the systeminitiates a telephone call to the content provider to enable the contentprovider to make changes via the telephone. The content provider thenmay record the audio by speaking into the telephone where it is recordedby an audio recordation system provided by the system. Alternatively, orin addition thereto, a microphone may be provided to enable the user torecord audio over the internet directly to the dialog creation website.In another embodiment, content may be created by the content providerproviding the URL of an existing HTML page (along with certainparameters) whereby the module may then convert it to VoiceXML. Theconversion application determines the number and nature of theparameters passed to it. For example, minimal parameters would includewhether the VPage must accept touch tone input, perform voicerecognition, or both.

Child listing 1044 may be provided to list the names of all children ofthis particular dialog. By selecting any of the children within thisfield, the user may be able to see the dialog page for that particulardialog and modify those dialogues accordingly. In this field, the nameof the child is presented as well as the DTMF (touch tone codes) andvoice codes that may be used to move to that particular dialog. Forexample, here, to move from the details dialog to the “buy posters”child, the user may either depress the one key on the touchtonetelephone or may say the word poster through the telephone and the biposters dialog will be initiated. Similarly, the more information dialogmay be presented by the user either depressing the two button on thetouch tone telephone or by saying the word more.

A link listing 1046 is also provided that comprises a listing of all ofthe different VPages to which a particular subscriber may transfer fromthis particular VPage without requiring entry of the full VCode. Here,the Smithsonian director may desire to input a listing to every otherVPage provided by that particular museum. An example is depicted in FIG.10(b) where the paintings for the Water Lilies Harvest, andMetamorphosis are provided with the VCodes that transfer to thoseparticular VPages and the VCodes that could be used to transfer thoseparticular VPages.

An example of the final tree structure for dialogues generated by thisparticular Smithsonian manger may be depicted in FIG. 12. As depicted inFIG. 12, a screen may be presented that shows a depiction of the treestructure and provides removed dialog and modified dialog buttons toenable the content provider to be able to add or modify the existingtree structure.

As part of the content creating process, content creation module 65 mayalso enable a content provider to be able to create brochures andlabels. The brochures and labels may be distributed or placed so as toindicate the VCode or VName for a particular object with which thatcontent is associated. FIG. 9 depicts an example of a collection ofpaintings 902 and 906 with VCode labels 904 and 908 displayed inassociation with those paintings. As depicted in FIG. 9, the VCode labelmay comprise the telephone number to access the VNAP system 12, theVName of the particular VPage associated with the painting, the name ofthe content provider, and the VCode which comprises, in this embodiment,a code corresponding to the content provider, separated by an asterisk,from the code associated with the particular VPage in question, followedby the pound sign. In order to create these labels automatically, alabel and brochure selection graphical user interface may be provided.In a first screen, the user may be asked to select whether he wishes togenerate a label, or a brochure. A label helper 1102 or a brochurehelper 1104 may then be provided to the content provider. Label helper1102 enables the user to select which VPages for which they would liketo order a label, choose the size and style and label type and thendepress a simple key to order those labels. The order would be processedusing the billing information provided by the content provider when thecontent provider signed up with this particular VNAP to provide contentto users. Various styles and sizes may be depicted in a graphical userinterface 1106 to enable the content provider to more readily understandwhat is to be provided in the particular label being ordered. Theselabels may then be displayed in association with an object about whichthe VPage provides content. As shown in FIG. 11, various styles forVCode labels may be provided with differing formats for the content. Ineach label, the number to access the VNAP, the content provider and nameof the particular VPage and the VCode may all be depicted in variousformats.

A brochure may be a logical grouping of VCodes and names put together inorder to provide further temporal and spatial flexibility andinformation retrieval. A brochure handed over to patrons of the museum,for example, enables the user to listen to the content not only as theuser is walking through the gallery, but also after the user leaves thegallery. The brochure thus serves as a take home cyber guide.

Content providers may also modify VPages through interaction withcontent provider web interface 65 and its affiliated telephone contentprovider interface. In order to modify audio content, for example, acontent provider may enter the system by dialing into an administratorprivileges phone number for the VNAP and accessing all VPages for thatparticular content provider. For example, suppose that all of theposters for a particular painting in the museum are sold out but thereare still a lot of mugs left in stock. The content provider may want tochange the “buy posters” content to “buy mugs” for that particularpainting to encourage mug purchasers. The content provider may dial theVCode, enter administrator log in and password and then change dialogueson the fly using the telephone interface. For example here, the systemmay ask the administrator “would you like to modify the details dialog?”Upon saying no, the system may ask “would you like to modify theinformation or posters dialog?” (following down the tree structure untilthe content provider has reached the particular dialog that they wish tochange). Here, having reached the poster's dialog, the content providermay say “posters” at which the system may respond “You may startrecording after the tone.” Then the content provider may speak into thetelephone and record the saying “buy more mugs.” Also, that user mayalso effect a change to the transaction processing module to sell mugsrather than posters.

This interaction illustrates how a content provider may travel throughthe tree structure and modify the dialog to be changed. According to oneembodiment, the content provider may not change the tree structure onthe phone, although that may be possible as well. If the voice contentprovider cannot change the tree structure on the phone, that contentprovider may use the web interface to add or modify dialogues. Here,rather than deleting or changing the tree structure, the contentprovider is merely substituting one dialog for another without affectingthe overall tree structure. In that way, the content provider isprovided the ability to change content over the telephone to serve theirusers in a more timely and efficient way by encouraging frequentupdates.

Although various modules have been described herein, it should beunderstood that each module may be provided as several modules and thatmodules may be combined. Additional functionality and/or modules may beprovided without departing from the scope of the invention. Theoperation of each of these modules will be better understood inreference to the method of operation described below with respect toFIGS. 4 through 6.

One method of operation of the VCode system may be understood withrespect to method 200 depicted in FIG. 4. One embodiment of a process ofoperation of the present system begins when the user connects using atelephony device of a user system 14 through a communications network 16to a VNAP 12 (step 202). The VNAP 12 prompts the user for a VCode.

The user enters the VCode or other input (step 204). The system resolvesthe VCode or input selection (step 206) to identify the identify andlocation of the VPage associated with that VCode or other input.According to one embodiment, the VCode identifier module 28 may beemployed to determine the location of the VPage, or an external system,such as VCode resolution system 30, may be accessed to determine thelocation of a VPage. Once the identity and location of the VPage isdetermined, the VPage is retrieved (step 208). In step 210, the VPage isthen executed. Specifically, VPage retrieval module 32 retrieves theVPage, and passes the VPage along to VPage execution module 34. VPageexecution module 34 may then generate the voice output to the user usingvoice output generator 38 and voice personalization module 40, ifdesired, and the voice is then delivered using call center 26. Uponexecution of the VPage, VPage menu choices may be indicated in step 212using VPage menu module 36 which cooperates with voice output generator38 and call center 26.

The menu options within the VPage may be indicated to the user in anumber of ways. A listing of the various options may be presented inaudio format, or as discussed above, natural language, speechrecognition, and artificial intelligence agents may be utilized to allowthe user to indicate the desired choice, and then VPage menu module 36may determine the best fit from the menu choices presented to the user.In either event, the user is prompted to enter a choice in response tothe VPage. In step 214, the user inputs a choice, which is received bycall center 26 and passed to choice interpretation module 42. Choiceinterpretation module 42 and VPage menu module 36 then resolve thechoice in step 216 to determine what action the user desires. In step218, it is determined whether that choice is a transaction request ornot. If the request is a transaction request, then in step 220,transaction processing takes place and either returns the user back tothe VPage or concludes and signs the user off of the system. If thechoice is not a transaction request, then in step 222, the VPagecorresponding to the choice is identified and then in step 224, it isdetermined whether the VPage is at the same server or a differentserver. If the VPage is on the same server, then control returns to step210, and the selected VPage is executed. If the VPage is at a differentserver, then control returns to step 206 and the VCode is resolved. Thisprocess continues until the user decides to exit the system.

FIG. 7 depicts a VNAP system 300 according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, VNAP system 300 comprises aplurality of users 14 that connect to a call center 28. Call center 28connects to a voice browser 35 that is operates in conjunction with aspeech recognition module 39 and a text-to-speech (TTS) module 37. Thevoice browser 35 then passes information received to a interpreter 41which communicates parsed inputs from a user to a voice server 43 thatprovides a plurality of modules. Voice server 35 serves voice contentfrom content source 84 that has been provided from individuals 88,corporations 90, government entities 92, institutions 94 and/or media 96through either a web interface system 86 or other input devices 98. AVCode registration system 24 is provided to assign VCodes to all VPagesin the content source 84. The system also provides a user statisticaldatabase 82 and a subscription database 80. Users 14 may connect to asubscription interface, such as module 47, to input their informationinto subscription database 80.

Specifically, the system leverages a subscriber database that storesinformation for each subscriber to the VNAP system. Information receivedfrom the subscriber during subscription as well as usage information maybe stored in the subscriber database. When a subscriber enters the VNAPsystem, the information in the subscription database is accessed andused during the session. Information may include subscriber name, usernickname, one or more telephone numbers (with categorization of typeand/or function (e.g., home/business and fax/pager/mobile/land line,etc.)), one or more mailing addresses (with categorization of type(e.g., home, work, etc.)), one or more e-mail addresses, other contactinformation, credit cards (with type category such as Visa, Diner'sClub, American Express, etc.), voice settings (e.g., gender, speed,tone, pitch, language, volume, accent, etc.), a list of favorites, userbilling options and authentication settings (PIN, voiceprint, validCaller ID numbers, etc.).

In addition, the subscription database may comprise information aboutwhat information is made public for a particular subscriber or group ofsubscribers. For each record, the user may mark an entry as being“public,” “reveal on confirm,” “reveal on authorize,” or “private,” forexample. Values marked “public” may be visible to all voice contentproviders. Values marked “reveal on confirm” or “reveal on authorize”may be visible to individual voice content providers only upon userconfirmation or authentication (respectively). Values marked “private”may be hidden to all voice content providers.

Also, some fields may always be private for the security of the system.For example, the VNAP may not want to allow even content providers tohave access to credit card information, or at the very least may makethat information “reveal on confirm” so the subscriber knows when thatinformation is being provided to a content provider. Other values we mayrestrict entirely to “private” only (such as authentication settings).In a “reveal on confirm” situation, a VPage that desires to access theinformation may send a request to a confirmation module that requestsconfirmation from the subscriber prior to releasing the information fromthe subscription database to the VPage.

A user statistics database 82 may be provided. This database may bestored with subscriber database 80, may be part of the same database, ormay be stored separately. This database collects information about howeach subscriber uses the VNAP system including information about thenumber of VPages accessed, the identify of VPages accessed, the hoursspent on the network for each VPage per user and also stores relatedbilling information. This database is updated frequently so it createsmultiple rows at each session when users move between VPages. Userstatistics database 82 cooperates with billing module 46 in order toproperly charge users for accessing the system. User statistics database82 may also store information so voice content providers may performdata mining on the information to better understand how to moreeffectively generate revenue. For example, by determining what VPagesare hit at what times and what kinds of users hit them, the voicecontent provider may be better able to target his advertising. If, forexample, a VPage related to a particular television show is used mostlyby women in their middle thirties, then the content provider may includeadvertisements in the VPage that are suited to that demographic. Basedon these findings, advertising schemes for content providers may beimproved immensely.

When it is billing time, the contents of this database are grouped bydistinct users and billing statements are generated by billing module 46through use of billing information stored for subscribers in thesubscription database 80. Similarly when the payments are received, thistime billing information is grouped by content providers and splitproperly by billing module 46.

Voice server 43 may comprise content retrieval modules 32, billingmodules 46, security/authentication modules 45 and a personalizationmodule 40, among others. In general, as depicted in FIG. 18, a callcenter 28 (or call server) may initiate a different thread 1802/1804 foreach incoming call. That thread 1802/1804 may comprise an instance of avoice browser 35 (including speech recognition module 39, text to speechmodule 37 and interpreter 41), and a voice server (including contentretrieval module 32, billing module 46, security/authentication module45 and logging module 49).

With this design, the system does not have need for a complex threadmanager, and communication between modules happen in the thread's stackand memory space. In this embodiment, voice browser 35 communicatesdirectly with voice server 43 which in turn communicates with othermodules in the thread. With this model, load balancing is simplified.These modules may all reside on different machines, or on the samemachine. In one possible scenario, voice browser 35 announces to voiceserver 43 that it is ready, and voice server 43 decides that it shouldtalk to the authentication module 45 on Machine X, personalizationmodule 40 on Machine 1, and content retrieval module 32 on Machine *. Ina preferred embodiment, each of the modules is thus a separate objectwith single points of entry that do not depend on any shared “global”values to communicate with one another. By leveraging existingtechnologies, such as COM and DCOM, the locations of these modules isrelatively flexible.

While voice browser 35 manages state transitions between dialogs, voiceserver 43 handles centralized tasks that do not require the informationas to which dialog in the VPage the caller moves to. Centralized tasksmay include personalization, authentication, content retrieval andbilling.

The functionality and relationship between these modules is provided inmore detail below. An overview of the functions provided by thesemodules is provided with respect to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 depicts a method1600 of operation of the embodiment of FIG. 7. In this system, in step1602, the user calls the VNAP and the call center 28 receives the call.In step 1604, the call center 28 invokes the voice browser 35. In doingso, a browser manager provides a channel identification to the callcenter to identify the channel of the call. Next, in step 1606, thevoice browser 35 loads a default authentication page, and “displays” itto user, where the user is prompted for login and password toauthenticate the user. In step 1608, the user's information is passed toauthentication module 45 which determines in step 1610 whether the useris a current user. If not, then the user is prompted in step 1612 tocreate a new user profile, as described herein. If the user is a currentuser, then the authentication module 45 determines whether the user'slogin and password are correct. If not, then the system, in step 1614exits.

If so, then in step 1616, the personalization module 40 loads the userprofile, including information about how the user is billed,identification information, etc. The voice browser also stores theuser's information in its session information for later use. In step1618, the VPage requested by the user is provided by the call center 28to the voice browser 35 and displayed to the user. In step 1620, usagestatistics regarding the retrieval are logged in the user statisticsdatabase 82. In step 1622, the user may request a new page. If not, thein step 1624, the user exits the system.

If a new page is requested, then in step 1626, the user request ispassed to a content retrieval system (here, voice server 43). If theVPage requested in the VPage registration system (in step 1640), then instep 1638, the authorization module determines whether the user isauthorized for that page. If not, then an error message is generated instep 1628 and the user is returned to the previous page. If so, then thecontent retrieval retrieves the VPage in step 1636. Next, the systemdetermines whether there is a special price or authorization necessaryto access the desired VPage (e.g., more than one credit for the VPage ora separate subscription required). If not, then VNAP scripting isexecuted if necessary to generate the VPage (step 1630) and the VPage ispassed to the voice browser and displayed to the user (step 1618).Scripting includes substitution of personalized values for theparticular user into the VPage. If the user does not desire to pay(determined in step 1632), then the error message is generated (step1628).

Call center 28 in this embodiment may cooperate with the voice browser35, a speech recognition module 39 and a text to speech module 37. Voicebrowser 35 acts as the interface between the caller and the voice server43. It tracks information flow during the caller's session by acceptingcaller requests, interpreting them, passing them onto the server andreturning the relevant VPages to the user.

Voice browser 35 interfaces with call center 28 to handle ITS (text tospeech) processing through interaction with TTS module 37. It alsodetermines the voice content that is desired (such as determining theVCode or VName requested). Voice browser 35 thus translates voice inputinto specific instructions that the appropriate TTS engine understands.It may also pre-fetch certain VPages based on certain criteria. Also, ifa VPage presents menu options, voice browser 35 generates spoken text topresent to the user to choose from. Voice browser 35 also transfercontrol to different segments of a VPage depending on what menu optionsthe user picks.

On the input side, voice browser 35 deals with DTMF (touch tones) andspoken words, by interacting with an Automated Speech Recognition (ASR)platform to get back spoken words as inputs as described in detailbelow. In general, however, ASR relies on grammars and voice browser 35interacts with ASR to track the scope of grammars by switching grammarsand adding and removing words from the grammar. Voice browser 35 mayalso be responsible for receiving input to complete variables presentedto users based on pre-stored variable options. Variables, like grammarshave a scope. For variables, this scope is tied closely to a namespace.Voice browser 35 manages variables across separate namespaces and keepstrack of when a namespace has gone out of scope, to prevent the list ofvariables from keeping around data that is no longer relevant.

For each menu option created in a VPage dialog, content providers assigna transition command to allow the user to move from the parent dialog tothe child dialog. Voice browser 35 interprets inputs from the user toeffectuate those transition commands as well. Transition commands alongwith voice names and voice codes constitute the inputs into the VoiceBrowser. Voice browser also keeps track of what inputs are globallyavailable and what inputs are local.

Also, voice browser 35 handles standard control flow options, such asconditional execution (typically an if statement), and transfer ofcontrol. Therefore, voice browser 35 may comprise an expressionevaluator to evaluate the truth of conditional statements, and theability to transfer the user to appropriate points within a page, andoutside to other pages. In order to leverage existing, widely usedtechnologies, such as CGI and HTTP, voice browser 35 may send thevariables it has collected to a site with either the POST or GET httpmethods.

Additionally, voice browser 35 may make calls to outside functionality,in other words, use some form of RPC, such as the SOAP protocol, forexample.

Voice browser 35 may interact with a speech recognition module 39, suchas an automated speech recognition (ASR) platform, to interpret inputsfrom the user via voice commands. In one embodiment, the ASR utilizesgrammars that limit the number of possible choices that are recognized.Every input received by the VNAP system is matched to the elements of agrammar to see if it is a legitimate reply. At least two types ofgrammars may be used—static and dynamic grammars. Static grammars arethe most basic elements of a speech recognition application. Theyestablish the framework for how a given voice input should be processed.During a dialog, if the only legitimate transition command is a date, adate grammar is provided to match the caller's response and assign ameaning to it.

Dynamic grammars are created on-the-fly. A restaurant's menu may havemany static items for static grammars, but may also have specials forwhich dynamic grammars are used. When a user wants to order the special,his speech input may be checked against the dynamically created grammar.

According to one embodiment an ASR system as depicted in FIG. 17 may beused. A Nuance Communications or Speech Works system may be used, forexample. The ASR 1700 comprises a RecClient 1702, a RecServer 1704, adynamic grammar repository 1706, a compilation server 1708, a compiler1710, static grammar 1712, grammar files 1714, dictionary files 1716,and slot definition files 1718. Also, a dynamic grammar interface 1720may be provided. The RecClient 1702 outputs a speech channel 1722 and aKVSet Interface 1724.

A grammar file 1714 comprises a text file (e.g., written in NuanceGrammar Specification Language or called Java Speech Grammar Format)that contains information about what words are recognized by theapplication and what values to return. A Nuance Grammar SpecificationLanguage specification may be used to create this file.

Dictionary 1716 may comprise a set of words in a given language andtheir associated pronunciations. Slot definition 1718 may comprise atext file that specifies the slots/variables that may be filled bysentence processing. Compiler 1710 comprises a onetime executable thattakes the grammar file, the dictionary, and the slot definitions andcompiles it into a static grammar file 1712 that may be utilized by theRecServer 1704. The static grammar file may contain pre-defined placeswhere dynamic word/words may be inserted at run-time.

Dynamic grammar repository 1706 may comprise a file system or relationaldatabase that holds compiled dynamic grammar phrases for insertion intothe static grammar. Compilation server 1708 may comprise a serverprocess that takes grammar fragments and compiles them into binariesthat are stored in the database. Typically each dynamic words take 40-60bytes of storage. RecServer 1704 takes the compiled static grammar 1712and user input and converts it into a RecResult.

RecClient 1702 is a process through which the speech channel interfaceswith a RecServer. Multiple RecCients may be running on differentmachines across the network. The operation of these elements may beaccording to Nuance Communications specifications and modified for theparticular VPages and content output by the VNAP.

Voice browser 35 also cooperates with a text-to-speech module 37.Text-based voice content may be passed from a VPage to this module alongwith personalized speech settings from personalization module 40 toconvert text into speech and return the voice content back to voicebrowser 35 for delivery to the user. Such content is preferablydelivered as a monaurel, sampled at 8 KHZ (telephony standard), withfidelity on the order of 8 hits per sample.

Content retrieval module 32 accesses VNAP database(s) 18 to retrieve aVPage and pass that to voice browser 35 to be presented to the user.Once a VPage is located, permissions are passed onto authenticationmodule 45 and billing information specific to this page is passed ontobilling module 46. The VPage is then retrieved from a source alsospecified in the VCode registration system 24. The content source may befrom an internet source, a file server or a database. Also, when VPagesreference a standard audio clip, the audio content may be retrieveddirectly from the network (direct network access) by this module. Tospeed up information retrieval, content retrieval module 32 may alsocache frequently hit VPages. The cache may be searched before the VCoderegistration module 24 when retrieving a new page.

Through the use of the present system, voice and other content may bedelivered on demand to users at the time they desire and in the mannerin which they desire, without sitting at a computer.

To illustrate the process and use of this system, an example may beprovided. In this example, a Mr. Bean desires to access a VNAP system inorder to increase his enjoyment of the Smithsonian Institute's artgallery. As described above, Mr. Bean may have already subscribed to theVNAP service through a subscription interface module. And is now readyto take a cyber tour of the art gallery using a mobile telephone. Asshown in FIG. 9, upon approaching a particular painting in the artgallery, Mr. Bean is provided the opportunity to contact the blackbirdVNAP in order to receive information about the paintings in the gallery.Labels are placed at the bottom of each painting in the Smithsonian toenable the user to easily identify the VCode and VName for theparticular painting.

Accordingly, the following sequence of events may represent an exampleof a dialog between Mr. Bean and the VNAP system (here calledBlackbird).

1. Mr. Bean notices the labels on each of the paintings in the hall. Hedials the 1800-BLACKBIRD number to enter the Blackbrid voice-network.This starts his session.

2. Mr. Bean enters the five-digit domain-code for the Smithsonian ArtGallery. (He could have just asked to be connected to the “SmithsonianArt Gallery.”)

3. His personal cyber-guide on Blackbird welcomes Mr. Bean to theGallery, asks him to specify his language preference and then instructshim to enter the item number (this is the same as the VPage identifier).

4. Mr. Bean enters the four-digit item code or says “Water Lilies.”

5. Blackbird starts reciting the details on Monet's Water Lilies.

6. Due to static, he misses some of the information and requestsBlackbird to “Rewind” and “Start” from any point he wants.

7. Blackbird finishes up with Monet's details.

-   -   Blackbird: Would you like to buy a poster of “Water Lilies?”    -   Mr. Bean: No.

8. When he walks over to Van Gogh's “Sunflowers,” Mr. Bean decides hedoesn't want to hear more about Monet and asks Blackbird to “Stop” andtake him to “Sunflowers.”

9. After listening to the explanation, Cyber-Guide prompts him again fora poster purchase.

-   -   Blackbird: Would you like to buy a poster of “Sunflowers?”    -   Mr. Bean: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Would you like a small, regular or large size poster?        Say “help” if you want details on these sizes.    -   Mr. Bean: Large.    -   Blackbird: Will the poster be in the name of John Bean?    -   Mr. Bean: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to use your American Express Gold?    -   Mr. Bean: No.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to use your First Union Visa?    -   Mr. Bean: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Thank you very much for your transaction, Mr. Bean.        You can pick up your poster from the Smithsonian Gift Shop on        your way out. For mailing options, please say “MAIL” or press 1        now.    -   Mr. Bean: Continue.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to link to other museums in Washington        D.C. that have the works of this artist?    -   Mr. Bean: Yes.

10. Mr. Bean navigates in different museums and finds out what paintingsof this artist they have and obtains directions to the ones he isinterested in.

Use of the system by Mr. Bean provides numerous advantages. Mr. Bean isable to get into the voice network by simply dialing a telephone numberon his cell phone. There is no need for additional software or hardwareto retrieve information. The connection process makes no assumptionabout Mr. Bean's background, other than the ability to dial and speak orinput into the phone using the touch tone keys. The system is temporallyand spatially flexible. He is able to access information at the righttime and in the right place. As he walks by Monet's Water Lilies, he islistening to a cyberguide talk about this particular painting. Thesystem does not require waiting time involved and information retrievalor obligations to be in a specific location. For example, requiring aroom with a computer and a network jack. Further, the system isresponsive to Mr. Bean's inputs for more information or to purchaseitems relating to the painting. He is able to manipulate the session,make requests, and receive real time response that is typical of humaninteractions. He is also able to stop and restart the audio informationflow, as well as rewinding to hear specific points again. Words likestop, rewind, and skip are parts of a global command suite that isactivated in every VPage in the VNAP system. The customer is able to geteven more value out of a cyberguide than he would from an actual tourguide by purchasing a poster. Conducting transactions is beyond the jobdescription of an actual tour guide, who is responsible for walkingvisitors around and giving them detailed information on the items. Byincorporating transactions in the job description of the cybertourguide, the VNAP system adds value to the customer's experience.

The system is also personalized to the customer. At the point oftransaction, the customer need not specify his name, his credit cardnumber or his mailing address. This information has been provided aspart of the subscription profile, which the user created when hesubscribed to the VNAP system. The VNAP system recognizes andauthenticates his cellular telephone number at the beginning of thesession and retrieves his credit card information as he is purchasingthe poster. At the subscription phase, the customer specified all creditcards to which purchases for VNAP products would be charged. Duringtransaction processing, the customer is able to choose from the selectedcredit cards to make the purchase. Alternatively, or in additionthereto, the customer may input only one credit card, and all purchasesusing the VNAP system would be charged to that one credit card.

Content providers benefit from the system by being able to extend theircontent out to anyone who has access to a telephone. The content may bedisplayed in any language, any order and any pace to suit the needs ofthe visitor. This flexibility, along with the ease of use, increases thenumber of customers that the content provider can reach immensely. Inorder to achieve the same level of service with regular tour guides, asin our Smithsonian example, the Smithsonian would have to employhundreds of people to serve each visitor personally which is a costlyand redundant prospect. Content providers would benefit in various areasto generate revenues. In the Smithsonian example, the Smithsonian or amuseum benefits by transitioning from using tour guides to cyber guides,thereby reducing or even eliminating the costs associated with tourguide personnel. Also, the museum may generate revenue by charging thevisitor on a permanent or other time based or per page based basis.Also, the museum executes transactions through the cyber guide and asksvisitors to pick them up from the gift shop. This has severalimplications. People who do not have time to go into the gift shop canorder items on the voice network and get them mailed to their homeaddress. And also, by attracting visitors into the gift shop forpickups, more revenue may be generated by the users having visited thegift shop and purchasing additional items. Further, the system is easyto deploy.

In order to create a VPage, the content provider creates a menustructure on the content creation interface and fills in the structurewith audio or text content. Audio content can be displayed as it is anda text to speech engine may be used to convert text into voice.Modifications to the content may be made any time over the phone byindividuals with administrator privileges for that particular contentprovider. In this way, the content provider may update content easilywhen a new item arrives or the information on an item becomes obsolete.The system of the present invention provides a mechanism ofstandardizing the service that content providers' visitors receive.Ordinarily the quality of service provided by tour guides, for example,may vary along time and among different tour guides. By offering thesame cyber guide experience to all customers, the content providerensures a more consistent customer experience thereby improving thechanges for customer satisfaction.

A method of monitoring usage for billing purposes as method 300 isdepicted in FIG. 5. In method 300, the first step is the initiation ofthe call in step 302. Once a call is initiated, VNAP system records thephone number through a phone number recognition system, or requests theentry of the phone number or account number from the user. If in step304 it is determined that it was a toll call, then the processingcontinues to 306. If it is a toll call, the fees received by the VNAPmay be based on the toll rate charged. If, however, the billing is to beset up through a credit card or other means of payment, then processingpasses to step 305 to request payment information from the caller. Anymethod of providing payment over telephone that is acceptable within thearea in which the system is operating may be used, including creditcard, electronic checks, certificates, or an account throughpre-registration system 47. If the call is a toll call, then in step306, the incoming phone number and billing account are established andthe time of the call is recorded in the database associated with thebilling module. After processing in either step 305 or 306, in step 308,the call initiation time and the VCode requested are specified. TheVCode is identified in order to identify and allocate the fees receivedamongst the various entities entitled to a portion of the fee, includingthe VNAPs, content providers and/or the VCode host sites. In step 310,the billing system monitors for the request of an additional VPage. Andif such a page is input in step 312, the initiation time and conclusiontime of each VPage visited are recorded. Next, in step 314, when thecall is terminated or transferred to transaction processing, then thebilling period is terminated. The time that the billing period isterminated is recorded in the database and then in step 316, the fee isallocated amongst the VPage owners visited, the VNAP, the VCode displayhosts, and/or others according to a predetermined arrangement.

As discussed above, any number of billing and/or fee arrangements may beused to generate and distribute revenues amongst the various VCodeparticipants within the system. For example, a flat fee may be paid toeach of the VPages visited, a pro rata fee based on the period of time auser participates in the system may be provided, etc. Each VPage maythen allocate the fees it receives to the various VPages referencedtherein according to a predetermined schedule and each VPage may thenaccordingly allocate fees to each VPage it has participating within itsmenu system based on a predetermined schedule. As such, contentproviders are given an incentive to participate because they receivefees for visitation to their VPage. Further, various entities may hostVCode displays. Such entities may receive a portion of fees. The subjectabout which content is posted may also receive fees based on access tocontent.

Also, content provider may assign fees (either dollars or units) fortheir VPages. The VNAP then receives either a fixed amount from VPagerevenues or an amount at a fixed rate that is directly proportional tothe revenues of the content provider.

Further, in all of the embodiments discussed, the fees charged/paid mayvary according to various factors, including the time of day, the sizeof the VPage, the amount of data accessed within any VPage or VBook, orany other variable.

One example of how a content provider may generate revenue is providedwith respect to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 depicts a dialog tree for a contentprovider (named Sue) for a voice-based restaurant guide. Sue is a recentcollege graduate, who has spent much time traveling in the East Coastand exploring different restaurants. To take advantage of her detailedrestaurant evaluations, she develops a new business plan that involvesputting her content online. She thinks that instead of buying acity-based guide for every single location, people might prefer to havea single source for restaurant consultation wherever they go. As astarting point, Sue picks Boston and develops content for restaurants inBoston. Sue subscribes to a VNAP system, such as one named the Blackbirdsystem. She also acquires a VPage and VCode for “Sue's RestaurantGuide.” Going through the content creation interface numerous times, Suecreates VPages for 40 different restaurants in Boston. For each VPage,Sue uses the dialog structure as depicted in FIG. 13. In addition toeach restaurant VPage, Sue also creates a main VPage such that users cansearch restaurants by location, name, food type or cost. She organizes aseparate dialog tree structure for these menu options. Sue chooses tocharge 200 for each minute a user spends listening to her content. Inorder to facilitate content distribution, Sue orders two kinds ofbrochures: one main brochure that lists all the restaurants along withtheir VCodes and VNames as well as other regional brochures that listonly the restaurants that correspond to a particular region. Once she isdone designing and organizing her content in her VPages, Sue needs todistribute her content and make sure it reaches many users. Since Suehas not yet acquired a reliable reputation, she needs to distribute hercontent via third parties, which have acquired a solid reputation. Suerealizes that content distribution is as important as content creationto be successful on the VNAP. Sue hands out her brochures to travelagencies, travel guides, newspapers, magazines and local businesses. Shealso gets in touch with key VPage owners to acquire a link out of theirVPages. To do all of these, Sue offers commission to some of these thirdparties. Various users start to find out about Sue's Online RestaurantGuide. Sue starts generating revenue. Once she has a consistent userbase, Sue may choose to reduce or eliminate third party involvementpartly and generate even more return. Sue starts the restaurant guide upin other cities and using different languages.

In this example, each subscriber may be subject to a credit-billingmodel. Each minute spent on a VPage by default may cost one credit,which is a direct payment to the Blackbird VNAP. With the defaultsetting, content providers do not receive any income out of theirVPages. The dollar value of one credit may be fixed, althoughsubscribers who plan to purchase many credits at once may receivediscounts for the credit rates.

If content providers, like Sue, want to be compensated on a per minutebasis, they declare their charge per unit to be more than one credit asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 10(a). Subscribers may receive asingle bill from Blackbird for the content they retrieve on the VNAP.The VNAP takes out its share that is equivalent to one credit perminute. The rest of the payment may be directed to the content provider.A payment example is depicted in FIG. 14(a).

If Sue is charging three credits per minute when Mr. X spends 10 minutesper pay period listening to Sue's restaurant evaluations, Mr. X ischarged for 30 credits for Sue's content only. The VNAP system setsaside one third of this payment for network compensation and sends therest to Sue. Thus, Sue's content 1402 is provided by the VNAP system 12to consumer X, who pays the VNAP system 12 thirty (30) credits. The VNAPsystem 12 then pays Sue (1406) 20 credits and retains 10 credits. Withthe VNAP system 12 as the central billing mechanism, subscribed usersreceive one billing statement from that VNAP. The mechanical details aretaken care of at this central billing unit so that content providerscollect their shares every pay period without having to worry aboutbilling details.

According to another embodiment, content providers may resell theirVPages for use by other VPages. A content provider may agree to sell hiscontent to another content provider. This is called content resale. Aprovider, who uses content that belongs to someone else, may share hisrevenues from that content with the original owner. The rate for sharingis specified by a content owner as he creates the VPage. Content that isduplicated with the permission of the owner is called derived content.

The VNAP system may hide the details of resale calculations from thecontent provider. Incorporation of the resale ability into the systemdoes not change anything from the point of view of users or contentproviders. The VNAP's central billing unit may split the payment suchthat all derived content providers and content owners are compensatedproperly.

In the example above, Sue may resell her content for additional revenue.Seeing how successful Sue has become with her Blackbird restaurantguide, Mary hopes to use part of Sue's content in her Blackbirdhotel-guide for hotel restaurant evaluations. Sue agrees to do this onlyif she receives half the share, and she specifies her resale rate to be50% for each of her VPages. Just like Sue, Mary charges users threecredits per minute. This time of those thirty credits, 10 go toBlackbird, 10 goes to Sue as the original content owner, and theremaining 10 credits go to Mary as her revenue, as depicted in FIG.14(b).

Accordingly, Sue's content 1402 feeds Mary's content 1403. Mary'scontent is provided to Consumer X 1404 who pays VNAP system 12 thirty(30) credits. VNAP system 12 pays Mary and Sue 10 credits and retains 10credits. An overview of Sue's revenues and costs is depicted in FIG. 15.

Sue's costs consists of the commission she pays to third parties fordistributing her content. Through these third parties Sue's contentreaches her user base. Users make their payments to Blackbird forvisiting Sue's VPage. Blackbird takes its share from the payment, addsderived content returns and sends Sue her content revenue. Sue alsoreceives direct revenue from users through transactions and advertisingrevenue from restaurants.

In order to distribute her content, Sue used third parties such astravel agencies 1506, travel books 1504, newspapers and magazines 1502.The third party selection is solely based on what channels Sue thinkswill best accommodate her content. Therefore, she may pick and agree ona commission rate for each distribution channel she is working with andmay distribute parts of her total revenues to all the distributionchannels. Content revenue is the amount the VNAP system 12 (hereBlackbird) returns to the content provider. Content revenue is what isleft after the network charges are taken out and the resale shares areadded to the subscriber payments to Blackbird for Sue's VPages.

Revenues generated by conducting transactions with users are providedfrom customers 1404 and 1405. Sue may ask her users if they want to buya written version of her restaurant guide. If they agree, she coulddirectly charge her content users and mail them a copy of her booklet.The VNAP system 12 may have little or no involvement in this type ofrevenue flow.

When Sue makes reservations at restaurants for her users, she is helpingrestaurants generate revenue. For each reservation she makes, Sue maycollect a share of the restaurant's profits, defined by a presetcommission rate. The Blackbird infrastructure facilitates transactionrevenue generation by providing interactive and personalized VNAPservices. This revenue, from restaurants 1508 and 1510, may or may notbe shared by VNAP system 12 according to various embodiments of thepresent invention.

According to another business model, users may access the VNAP free ofcharge. Revenue may be generated through advertising or by chargingVPage providers to make their content available. As discussed above,VAds may be included in VPages and the system may generate revenue fromthese VAds. The Ads selected may be customized to the content generatedin the VPage. The distribution of the advertising fee may take variousforms. An advertising fee may be paid to the VNAP when the VNAP includesan advertisement in a VPage (even if it does not notify the contentprovider). Also, an advertisement may be paid to the voice contentprovider when that content provider selects to include an ad in itsVPage. Ad revenue may also be shared when the VNAP acts as anadvertising agent to match advertisers with content providers and thecontent provider agrees to include an ad in its VPage. Also, premiumVPages may charge users a fee but general access to the system may befree. For example, a yellow pages site may provide directory lookups forfree but charge the user for turn-by-turn directions. Additionally, theVNAP may charge both the users and the VPage providers. Otherpermutations of payment and receipt may also be provided amongst thevarious participants in the system.

FIG. 6 depicts a method for content providers to provide content to beincluded at one or more VPages and then provide it as VPages within theVCode system. In step 402, a content provider that desires toparticipate in the VCode system registers an address on communicationsnetwork 20 for a VBook, i.e., one or more VPages. The address identifiesthe location within the network where VNAPs can locate and retrievefiles from the particular content provider. VPage registration system 24may be used to store a unique address for each VPage within thecommunications network. A uniform registration system may be providedthroughout the VCode system to avoid duplication and other problemsassociated with having multiple registration systems. Also, multipleregistration systems may be provided, however, a synchronization methodmay be utilized to ensure that unique addresses are issued by thevarious registration systems. For example, each VPage registrationsystem may have a series number that it issues so that the number oraddress of the VPage never conflicts. In step 404, the VBook secures aVCode for each VPage contained in that VBook.

Next, in step 406, the VPage establishes a menu structure for the VPagesto be operated by the VPage organization system 56. Specifically, eachVPage may include a reference to one or more other VPages, some of whichmay be from that VPage, and others of which may be from another VPage.For the VPages within the VPage, an organizational structure may beestablished in order for the VPage to be able to locate and store theVPages in a quick and efficient manner. In step 407, the links to VPagesat other sites may be recorded so that VPage may pass along the locationof a referenced VPage at another location when a user selects an optionaddressing that VPage. In step 408, VPages containing voice content arestored in a database associated with the VPage for later delivery. Next,step 410 or step 418 is executed. In step 410, the VPage offersconnection rights to content providers. As part of this process, contentproviders may contract for payment of fees for providing informationbased on the amount or per usage of the VPage by users. ID step 412, thecontent provider provides voice content to the VPage which in step 414is incorporated into one or more VPages. The VPage then created isstored for delivery in step 408 and the cycle continues. Finally, instep 416, the VPage may pay the content provider based on the access ofthe content provided. Alternatively, in step 418, the VPage offerstransaction processing to a bunch of transaction processors. In step420, the transaction offerings are provided to the VPage and in step422, the transactions are incorporated into one or more VPages which arethen stored for delivery in step 408. Finally, in step 424, thetransaction processing companies pay a fee back to the VContent providerand/or VNAP based on the usage of the transaction.

In one embodiment, a content provider may process transactions for asecond transaction content provider. These two content providers mayshare the revenues generated by the transaction. For example, theWashington Post VPage may sell Yankees T-shirts to users as part of aYankees VPage reporting on a recent game. The Post and one T-shirtseller may share the revenues from the sale of that T-shirt.

In one embodiment, transactions processed through the system of thepresent invention may use the credit card information in the user'sprofile. The system may also use any other form of payment specified bythe user either in the user's profile or specified by the user on-line,including as bank account, electronic check, wire transfer or otherpayment. Additionally, as discussed above, the VNAP system may operatethrough charging credits for VPages. These credits may be purchased bythe user for different amounts, for example, depending on the volumepurchased. Fifty credits may cost twenty dollars whereas five hundredcredits may only cost one hundred fifty dollars. In this embodiment, thecredits may be used to complete a transaction as well. For example, asite may provide for movie ticket purchasing and the user may pay forthe movie tickets using VNAP credits purchased from the VNAP system. Thecontent providers and transaction processors are then paid based on thevalue of the credits received by the VNAP.

For the use of the system described, a business model based on sale ofinformation for provision over a voice network is created. Users pay aVNAP who provides access to VPages with a vast amount of informationthat is deliverable on demand based upon the simple input of a VCodeassociated with a product, a service, a site, or any other object orthing about which a user may desire information. Further, because of thepenetration in mobile phones throughout the world, users may access thissystem without requiring purchase of new equipment and therefore animproved system of information on demand as requested is provided.

Various examples of how this system may be used are provided below.

Jack is a subscribed Blackbird user. Blackbird services have become apart of his daily life due to the voice network incorporation intonewspapers. Every morning, Jack skims through the Washington Post andpinpoints the articles that he needs more information about. A typicalWashington Post page in this example may look like FIG. 19.

Jack missed the Yankees-Boston game and is ready to find out all thedetails. He connects to Blackbird and enters the VCode for the relevantarticle (V 38373-272). Once he dials this number, Jack is on theWashington Post VBook and to navigate between articles, he only needs todial the three digit VPage identifier codes. The dialog between Jack andthe VNAP system 12 may be as follows:

-   -   Blackbird: Would you like to replay important sections from the        game or hear interviews?    -   Jack: Interviews.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to hear an interview with Bernie        Williams?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Upon this request Blackbird replays an interview recording with        Bernie Williams. It is a five minute long interview and Jack        just needed to hear the first three minutes.    -   Jack: Skip.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to buy a Yankees T-shirt or hear an        interview with the Yankees Manager, Joe Torre?    -   Press 1 for a T-shirt. Press 2 for the interview.    -   Jack: I would like to buy a t-shirt please.    -   Blackbird: Would you like a blue, black or white t-shirt?    -   Jack: Blue.    -   Blackbird: Would you prefer short-sleeves or longsleeves?    -   Jack: Long-sleeves.    -   Blackbird: What size T-shirt would you like? Our sizes are        small, medium, large and X-large.    -   Jack: Large.    -   Blackbird: Can I charge this to your Mastercard?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Can I mail the T-shirt to your house or would you        like it pick it up?    -   Jack: Mail to my house.    -   Blackbird: Thank you very much for your time. You will receive        your T-shirt in a week.

Jack may reply to Blackbird in full sentences. The speech recognitiontechnology described herein parses the sentence to identify words thatare actual transition commands for different menu options. For instance,when Blackbird asks Jack whether he wants his T-shirt to be mailed orpicked up, the answer is parsed to look for the word “mail” or “pick.”If Jack had not used either of these words, Blackbird may rephrase thequestion by giving Jack the touch-tones for his options.

At this point, Jack may desire to move onto a different article. Hedials 278 to connect to the information on “The Game.”

-   -   Blackbird: Place a bet and win $1,000. Guess the scores for        tonight's game between LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls.    -   Would you like to place a bet now?    -   Jack: No.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to get tickets for this game or        connect to expert evaluations for both teams?    -   Jack: I would like to listen to evaluations.    -   Blackbird brings up fragments of interviews with sports        columnists and coaches.

Jack hangs up and keeps looking through the Washington Post. If he callsBlackbird again, he will directly be connected to the Washington PostVBook. In one embodiment, the VNAP remembers the last VBook visited andconnects to it in the next call so that connections that are cut offaccidentally or temporarily return to where they were. The sports pagescenario for Jack may be repeated with the business page, classifieds,etc. Jack may dial the stock market VCode to retrieve detailedinformation about specific companies or he can dial the VCode associatedwith a car sale in the classifieds to get more information from the carowner himself.

In this example, Jack benefits by receiving a wide variety ofinformation at his own discretion. He can manipulate his own WashingtonPost experience the way he wants. Jack can conduct transactions throughhis newspaper without having to go to a shop. Jack is also able toretrieve real-time voice information like interviews, parts of games,concerts, etc.

The Washington benefits because it may not pay to provide VPage content.Washington Post may assign a minimal charge for extra informationretrieval on the VNAP. This way it can generate additional revenues byattracting readers to the VPages using lotteries, live recordings, etc.The VNAP system enables Washington Post to carry out transactions. Inmost cases, Washington Post may be some other content provider's thirdparty distribution channel. This way Washington Post may acquire partsof transaction revenues as well as referral fees for directing readersto specific VPages. (i.e., VPages of classified ad owners). WashingtonPost delivers more information without actually printing it. This allowsbetter allocation of resources for audio content that is normallyconverted to text and placed on a shelf.

In another example, Jack wants to buy new speakers for his stereo. He isnot very familiar with his options so he goes to Stereo Store to lookaround and make a selection. In Stereo Store, every item has a distinctVCode and a VName associated with it. Before items are sold, the VPagefor each item gives customers the sales pitch and detailed informationon what distinguishes this item from others in the market. Once the itemis sold, content on the VPage is automatically updated to containpersonalized setup and warranty information. Ultimately, the same VPagemay serve the customer both pre and post sales.

When Jack arrives at Stereo Store, he is very confused due to the hugevariety of speakers. Jack may just go up to a speaker and dial its VCodedirectly to retrieve the information specific to that speaker. Instead,he dials 43956 to connect to the Stereo Store domain.

The dialog for this example may be as follows:

-   -   Blackbird: Hello Jack. Welcome to Stereo Store! What type of        product can I assist you with today?    -   Jack: Speakers.    -   Blackbird: Do you have a budget constraint?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Enter the most you are planning to spend on speakers.    -   Jack: $700.    -   Blackbird: Do you prefer upright, bookshelf or surround system        speakers?    -   Jack: Bookshelf.    -   Blackbird: Do you want a subwoofer?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Do you want a built-in subwoofer or separate?    -   Jack: Built-in.    -   Blackbird: Our top three recommendations are Platinum Reference        Speakers, Polkaudio R300 and Aerial 10T. Select one of these to        locate them in Circuit city and retrieve information.    -   Jack: Polkaudio R300.    -   Blackbird: Polkaudio R300 is located in aisle three of the        speakers section. Please say “Continue” when you find Polkaudio        R300 and we will connect you to the info center for this        speaker.    -   Jack finds the Polkaudio speakers. Now he asks Blackbird to        continue. Blackbird links to the Polkaudio R300 VPage.    -   Blackbird: Welcome to the Polkaudio R300 Information Center. If        you would like to have an engineer guide you about the technical        details of the R300 speakers, press 1 or say “engineer” now. If        you would like to talk to a customer who has used Polkaudio 300        before, press 2.

In this dialog, when Jack says “Continue,” the domain page links to thePolkaudio R300 VPage. At this point, Jack may find out about all theproduct details on a level that he prefers. Talking to an engineer maygive him the technical strengths and capabilities of the speaker.Talking to a previous customer may give him a more practical view.

After listening to his other options, Jack decides to buy the PolkaudioR300 Speakers. At this point Jack can either go up to the cashier to payfor his purchase or he can just pay for it on the phone through the VNAPsystem and setup a time for delivery. Jack may also do so on his wayout, in his car or later.

If Jack has setup and configuration problems, he dials into the VNAPsystem. Now that this item is sold, the content is updated to includesetup directions instead of sales information. It also includes links toother products that Jack purchased along with his speakers. The VPage,therefore, becomes a personal helper for Jack.

Jack can either go through the setup helper on the phone and setup hisspeakers or he can schedule a time so that a Stereo Store technician cancome to his house and do it for him. If Jack has a specific question, hecan leave a message and wait for a representative to call him back. Ifhe forgot to buy a certain cable that is necessary for connections, hecan order this piece. Jack can also navigate between different productsthat he has purchased. Stereo Store can design the content for itsproduct pages such that the content answer most frequent customerquestions.

The VNAP may also have VPages for service and warranty questions. Ifjack has problems with his speakers, Jack connects to his personalizedPolkaudio VPage and inquires about the warranty. The dialog may be asfollows:

-   -   Blackbird: Hello Jack. Your warranty has not expired yet.    -   Are you having problems with your Polkaudio R300 Speakers?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to troubleshoot online or would you        like to get it repaired?    -   Jack: I would like to get it repaired.    -   Blackbird: Would you like someone to pick it up for an extra        charge of $40?    -   Jack: No.    -   Blackbird: The nearest Stereo Store technical support offices        around your house are 2345 Maple Drive and 3377 Randolph street.        The one office close to work is 49 Lincoln Drive. Select one        office.    -   Jack: 2345 Maple Drive.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to have directions to this office?        Jack: No.    -   Blackbird: A technical support representative will call you from        home or work within 24 hours to setup an appointment.

Therefore, the same VCode associated with the speakers helps Jack tomake his choice at the point of purchase, go through setup at home andconsult about warranty when the speakers are broken. This allows Jack tobe a much more self-sufficient consumer. The domain page points Jack tothe options that he is really interested in by narrowing down thespeakers catalogue in light of Jack's conditions. This saves him the,time of going through all speakers before he hits one that he likes.After the sales, Jack receives personalized information allowing him tonavigate between the products he purchased and pulling out the nearesttech support offices to home and work.

The store benefits because it is better able to standardize the qualityof service to all customers. The store is able to increase revenue bycharging for the service on the phone. By providing relevant links frompersonalized product VPages, Stereo Store may establish resale orreferral alliances by other companies.

In another example, Jack is also subscribed to personalized andproactive intelligence agent, such as strategy.com provided by theassignee of this invention. He receives a scheduled service everymorning that gives him the traffic updates on his way to work. Blackbirdincludes links to VPages of cab companies or pages that can dynamicallygenerate new routes. Jack is in his car, when he receives a call fromhis proactive intelligence agent, which notifies him of a traffic jam onhis way to work and tells him that he can connect to Blackbird to lookinto alternative roots. Jack dials into the local Blackbird trafficpage. The dialog may be as follows:

-   -   Blackbird: Hello Jack. Currently, there is heavy traffic on        Route 7 West due to an accident. Would you like to look into        another way of getting to work?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: Take Route 66 from your house in Ballston to exit 64.        Route 66 is moderately congested. Then take 495 North to Tysons        Corner. 495 is clear. Then right on Route 7 East till Tycon        Towers. Would you want to hear an alternative way?    -   Jack: No, thanks.    -   Blackbird: Would you like to find out more about the accident?    -   Jack: Yes.    -   Blackbird: A bus and cab were involved in the accident that took        place at 8.05 am on Leesberg Pike. Two people were seriously        injured. Congestion along 2 miles due to the accident.

Jack not only receives information about the traffic jam on his way towork but also a solution to this problem, namely another route that hecan take to work as well as the details of the accident that caused thetraffic jam. The ease of dynamic updates facilitates dynamic contentmaintenance and changes in links from the traffic VPage to a news VPage.This is a great example of how proactive and reactive intelligencesystems leverage each other. If Jack had not heard from his proactiveintelligence agent about the traffic jam, he would take his usual routewithout having to check for traffic in the VNAP system. Once he receivesa warning, the VNAP system provides him with all the answers he needs.

The state traffic control provides the content that Jack accesses. Givena departure point and a destination, the content lists two or threepre-programmed routes that may be used to get from the departure pointto the destination. These routes may comprise a combination of streetsand highways that may take Jack from point A to point B. Since Jackalready put in the information on his house and work locations duringsubscription, the traffic page automatically informs him on alternativeroutes along with the associated traffic parameters. The VNAP systemenables the establishment of an absolutely efficient traffic system thatallows drivers to change their routes before they enter a congestionzone. By providing this service to its citizens, the government or othertraffic content provider secures the welfare of commuters and maximizesthe safety and efficiency of traffic flow.

In another example, when Jack does his yearly health check up, he isgiven a VCode that he connects to within 24 hours to find out about theresults of his tests as well as to set up an appointment with a doctorto discuss these results. The VNAP system includes links to differentphysician's VPages. Jack is not very happy about his cholesterol leveland would like to see a cardiologist to understand the implications ofthis. He can hear reviews and biographies about all cardiologists onthis page and setup an appointment by connecting to their VPages. Thisway Jack does not have to wait impatiently to pick the results up anddepending on what part of the test results he is worried about, he canbe introduced to all the cardiologists that belong to this particularhospital.

The VNAP system of the present invention thus provides for various typesof interactions including: (1) non-personalized—static data—notransaction (Boy Scout leader example below); (2)non-personalized—static data—data transfer (Galileo restaurant example);(3) non-personalized—static data—transaction (National Museum of NaturalHistory example); (4) personalized—static data—transaction (MoviePhoneexample); (5) personalized—dynamic data—no transaction (traffic updatesexample); and (6) personalized—dynamic data—transaction (stock quotesexample). Examples of this type of interaction are provided below.Galileo restaurant example

-   -   1. User calls in to system and is authenticated.    -   2. User enters VCode associated with Galileo restaurant.    -   3. User presented with Galileo's main menu. Choices include:        “about Galileo,” “driving directions,” “make a reservation,”        “sign the guest book.” User selects “driving directions.”    -   4. User is presented with three options: “from the northwest,”        “from the east,” and “from Virginia.” User selects “from        Virginia.”    -   5. User receives directions to 1110 21st St., NW, and is        returned to the main menu. User selects “make a reservation.”    -   6. User prompted to enter time. If space is available, his name        and number is confirmed:    -   1. Will this be in the name of “Tiger Yu” or other?    -   2. Is your telephone “703-703-7030,” “123-123-1234,” or other?    -   7. Reservation confirmed; user returned to the main menu. User        selects “sign the guest book.”    -   8. System confirms name and address:    -   1. Will this be in the name of “Tiger Yu” or other?    -   2. User selects other; prompted to input a new name.

3. Will this be at the address of “123 Route 123” or other?

-   -   4. User selects other; prompted to input a new address.

9. Guest book signing confirmed; user returned to the main menu. Userselects “about Galileo.”

-   -   10. System begins to talk about Galileo, but user interrupts by        entering in the VCode for Cornelius Talmage (see above).        Personal VPage Example:    -   1. User calls in to system and is authenticated.    -   2. User enters VCode associated with Cornelius Talmage    -   3. User presented with the Cornelius Talmage VPage main menu.        Options include “contact Cornelius” and “what are his interests”    -   4. User subsequently navigates the static menu structure,        learning more and more about Cornelius.    -   5. After hearing Cornelius' interests, the user hangs up.        National Museum of Natural History example    -   1. User calls in to system. Authentication is conducted.    -   2. User enters VCode associated with the Smithsonian Natural        History Museum    -   3. User presented with main menu, instructed to either enter an        exhibit number (from a sign in the museum; possibly a VCode) or        choose from a (perhaps hierarchical) list. User elects “O. Orkin        Insect Zoo, bumblebees” from the list of options.    -   4. User presented with the bumblebee exhibit menu. Options        include “hear more about bumblebees” and “buy a book on        bumblebees.” User selects the former.    -   5. User hears about bumblebees for a minute or so. User looped        back to the bumblebee menu. User selects to buy the book.    -   6. User presented with a transactional menu. After prompting for        details such as quantity and shipping method, It confirms the        name, credit card and shipping address:        -   1. Will this be in the name of “Buck Swope?”        -   2. Would you like to use credit card “First USA Visa,”            “American Express Optima,” or “other?”        -   3. Would you like to use shipping address “1705 Q St., NW,”            other shipping address, or pick the book up at the front?    -   7. The user has just bought a book about bumblebees.        MoviePhone example:    -   1. User calls in to system and is authenticated.    -   2. User enters VCode associated with MoviePhone.    -   3. User asked to browse by theater or title. User elects to        browse by theater.    -   4. Usual ZIP code is confirmed: Would you like to use ZIP code        “20037” or other?    -   5. User presented with a list of nearby theaters to select from.        User selects “Cineplex Odeon Union Station 9.”    -   6. User presented with a list of titles. User selects “The        Mummy.”    -   7. User presented with a list of showtimes. User selects “7:01        pm.”    -   8. User asked how many tickets he or she would like to purchase,        and selects “3.”    -   9. It confirms the credit card: Would you like to use credit        card “MBNA International MasterCard” or “other?”    -   10. The user has just bought tickets to The Mummy.        Traffic updates example.    -   1. User enters traffic VCode    -   2. As it is after noon, the system gives the personalized        evening commute: “Hello, Mr. Sparkle. Interstate 66 is        <congested>. US 50 is <heavy traffic>. Chain Bridge Road is        <moderate traffic>. Frederick Scott Key Bridge is <clear>.        Roosevelt Bridge is <heavy traffic>. Arlington Memorial Bridge        is <moderate traffic>. Rock Creek Parkway is <clear>.”    -   3. User is presented with options including “new road.” User        selects “new road.”    -   4. ZIP code confirmed: Would you like to use “20007” or other?    -   5. Other is selected, and the user is prompted for a new zip        code. User enters 20817.    -   6. User is presented with a list of possible roads: “Valid roads        in your vicinity are: Beltway, Clara Barton Parkway, Wisconsin        Ave., Bethesda, Wisconsin Ave., DC, Connecticut Ave., Beltway        Area, Connecticut Ave., DC.”    -   7. User selects Beltway, and hears “<moderate traffic>”.        Stock Quotes example:    -   1. User is connected to system (has already authenticated        himself and is browsing other audio content).    -   2. User interrupts and enters the VCode for Yahoo! finance.    -   3. Yahoo! finance greets user with his personalized page:        “Hello, Tiger! MicroStrategy, Incorporated is up 51¾ to 93¼.        Leftorium Enterprises is down 7½ to 42. Your overall portfolio        is up 0.78%.”    -   4. Options presented to the user include “team more about        MicroStrategy, Incorporated,” “learn more about Leftorium        Enterprises,” “get another quote,” and “buy stock.” User selects        “get another quote.”    -   5. User prompted for input. In some manner (DTMF, ASR), he or        she enters “T.”    -   6. User receives quote for AT&T: “AT&T is up 4 to 9½.”    -   7. Options presented include “learn more about AT&T,” “get a new        quote,” or “go back to your personalized profile.” User selects        “learn more.”    -   8. User receives a detailed synopsis of AT&T's stock—highs,        lows, 52- and 26-week trends, dividend yields, price/earnings        ratios—everything from the cracks and vents of money analysis.        Options to learn more follow, including “hear about AT&T        according to Bob Smith” and “hear more about AT&T according to        Merrill Lynch.”    -   9. User selects to hear more according to ML, and is taken via        link to voice content on ML's site.    -   10. User becomes bored with all the financial mumbo-jumbo and        uses the “back” command.    -   11. User back on the Yahoo! finance AT&T Vpage. One more “back”        and he's at his personalized stock welcome page.    -   12. This time the user selects “buy stock.”    -   13. The user is prompted for the ticker symbol, and enters “T.”    -   14. The system asks if the user might want to learn more before        making the buy. As the user knows all he needs to, he bypasses        this and goes straight to the transaction page.    -   15. A variety of options are presented: “buy common stock,” “put        option,” or “call option.”    -   16. User selects the basic “buy common stock” and gets the        standard transactional questions/prompts:        -   Quantity?        -   the $15 transaction charge ok?        -   Shall we use your “America's Choice” or “Plutonium” card?

Other examples of how VCodes may be used are as follows. Exit signs onthe interstate may have a VCode associated therewith. A user desiring tofind out information about what hotels, restaurants, gas stations andother places of interest exist at a particular exit may call the VNAPand input the VCode associated with the exit to find out suchinformation. It may enable advanced ordering of food at restaurantsalong the exit to expedite the user's travels while on the road. It mayenable a user to check availability and price of hotel rooms at thatexit and make a reservation during the same phone call.

Additionally, an on line voice auction could be conducted using theinvention by assigning each good within the auction site a VCode andenabling the user to bid on a particular auction piece using the VCode.The user could either be viewing the auction pieces on line through theinternet, could be actually present at the auction or watching theauction via television.

Additionally, VCodes may be assigned based on country or language aswell so that users to the Washington Monument VCode, for example, theremay be one code for Japanese, one code for English, one code forSpanish, one code for French, and another code for German.

The VCodes associated with these and other examples could be placed onthe object of interest, near the object of interest, could be publishedabout the object of interest, or displayed by a host through any meansso that users can associate the VCode with a object, subject or locationabout which they may want to obtain information. For example, in theWashington Monument example, a user desiring to find out whatrestaurants are located near the Washington Monument is more likely tobe willing to pay for information when the user is at the WashingtonMonument. Accordingly, a sign near the Washington Monument may advertisethe VNAP and list the VCode associated with the Washington Monument. Theuser could then use a telephone or a mobile phone to call the number,input the VCode and find out what restaurants are nearby. The timelinessof that information makes the information significantly more valuablebecause it is delivered on demand at the located desired and in themanner requested. In these and other cases the VNAP may charge therestaurant (or other entity that posts information) for advertising itsexistence instead of fee sharing. On other instances, a VNAP may offersuch advertisement for free to the restaurant to encourage therestaurant to post information to the VNAP's VCode system.

This technology permits the VNAP to create a powerful new business modelwhereby the VNAP permits others to create information that is“controlled” by the VNAP, so that the VNAP may charge users for accessto information or other content. In some cases the VNAP may share aportion of the revenue or in other cases, the VNAP may actually chargethe entity that posts the information. The VNAP can generate additionalrevenue by permitting VAds, by linking users to other VNAPs or VPages,by processing transactions or taking a percentage of transactions thatresult from its system even if processed by another transactionprocessor. Additionally, the VNAP can collect transaction data andhistorical use data pertaining to users who access the VCodes system.This data can be mined and used to create other value to the VNAP inother ways. The VNAP (or designated organization) can charge aregistration fee for content providers to register a VCode. The VNAP cancharge users a subscription fee for some or all content and attempt toobtain additional revenue from subscribers through premium VCodeservices and transactions. Numerous other business advantages andpossibilities will be readily available.

Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. The specification and examples shouldbe considered exemplary only.

1. A content creation system for enabling content providers to createvoice pages with audio files included for use in a network for voicepage delivery through which subscribers request a voice page and a voicepage server system delivers the voice page audibly to the subscriber,the content creation system comprising: a voice page selection modulethat enables a content provider to select a voice page in which an audiofile is to be included, the audio file comprising audio content that isaudibly delivered to the subscriber with the voice page; an audio fileselection module that enables the content provider to select an audiofile to be included in the selected voice page; and an audio filetransfer module that transfers the selected audio file from the contentcreation system to a voice page server system for inclusion in theselected voice page by a voice page generation module at the voice pageserver system, the voice page generation module serving to generate avoice page with the audio file included.
 2. The content creation systemof claim 1 wherein the voice page generation module comprises a playmodule that enables the content provider to play the audio file todetermine how it sounds.
 3. The content creation system of claim 1wherein the audio file is incorporated as content in a memo type ofvoice page.
 4. The content creation system of claim 1 wherein the audiofile is incorporated as a message associated with a link.
 5. The contentcreation system of claim 1 wherein the audio file is incorporated as amessage to be played upon selection of an option to a link.
 6. Thecontent creation system of claim 1 wherein the audio file isincorporated as a question in a voice page.
 7. The content creationsystem of claim 1 wherein the sound file is received in a predeterminedformat.
 8. The content creation system of claim 1 wherein the sound fileis received in a first format and converted to a predetermined formatprior to inclusion in a voice page.
 9. A content creation system forenabling content providers to create voice pages with audio filesincluded for use in a network for voice page delivery through whichsubscribers request a voice page and a voice Page server system deliversthe voice page audibly to the subscriber, the content creation systemcomprising: a voice pare selection module that enables a contentprovider to select a voice page in which an audio file is to beincluded: an audio file selection module that enables the contentprovider to select an audio file to be included in the selected voicepage; and an audio file transfer module that transfers the selectedaudio file from the content creation system to a voice page serversystem for inclusion in the selected voice page by a voice pagegeneration module at the voice page server system, the voice pagegeneration module serving to generate a voice page with the audio fileincluded: wherein the voice page generation module generates anXML-based voice page from inputs received; and wherein the audio file isincorporated with tags designated for audio output.
 10. A contentprovider system for enabling content providers to create voice pageswith audio files included for use in a network for voice page deliverythrough which subscribers request a voice page and a voice page serversystem delivers the voice page audibly to the subscriber, the contentprovider system comprising: voice page selection means for enabling acontent provider to select a voice page in which an audio file is to beinclude the audio file comprising audio content that is audiblydelivered to the subscriber with the voice page; audio file selectionmeans for enabling the content provider to select an audio file to beincluded in the selected voice page; and audio file transfer means fortransferring the selected audio file from the content provider system toa voice page server system for inclusion in the selected voice page by avoice page generation module at the voice page server system.
 11. Thecontent provider system of claim 10 wherein the voice page generationmodule comprises a play module that enables the content provider to playthe audio file to determine how it sounds.
 12. The content providersystem of claim 10 wherein the audio file is incorporated as content ina memo type of voice page.
 13. The content provider system of claim 10wherein the audio file is incorporated as a message associated with alink.
 14. The content provider system of claim 10 wherein the audio fileis incorporated as a message to be played upon selection of an option toa link.
 15. The content provider system of claim 10 wherein the audiofile is incorporated as a question in a voice page.
 16. The contentprovider system of claim 10 wherein the sound file is transferred in apredetermined format.
 17. The content provider system of claim 10wherein the sound file is transferred in a first format different from apredetermined format; and wherein the voice page server system convertsthe sound file to the predetermined format.
 18. The content providersystem of claim 10 wherein the content provider system comprises atelephony device.
 19. The content provider system of claim 10 whereinthe content provider system comprises a web-based system.
 20. Thecontent provider system of claim 10 wherein the content provider systemcomprises a PDA system.
 21. A content provider system for enablingcontent providers to create voice pages with audio files included foruse in a network for voice page delivery through which subscribersrequest a voice page and a voice page server system delivers the voicepage audibly to the subscriber, the content provider system comprising:voice page selection means for enabling a content provider to select avoice page in which an audio file is to be included: audio fileselection means for enabling the content provider to select an audiofile to be included in the selected voice page; and audio file transfermeans for transferring the selected audio file from the content providersystem to a voice page server system for inclusion in the selected voicePage by a voice page generation module at the voice page server systemwherein the voice page generation module generates an XML-based voicepage from inputs received; and wherein the audio file is incorporatedwith tags designated for audio output.
 22. A method for enabling contentproviders to create voice pages with audio files included for use in anetwork for voice page delivery through which subscribers request avoice page and a voice page server system delivers the voice pageaudibly to the subscriber, the method comprising the steps of: enablinga content provider to select a voice page in which an audio file is tobe included, the audio file comprising audio content that is audiblydelivered to the subscriber with the voice page; enabling the contentprovider to select an audio file to be included in the selected voicepage; and transferring the selected audio file from the content providersystem to a voice page server system for inclusion in the selected voicepage by a voice page generation module at the voice page server system.23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of playing theaudio sound file to determine how it sounds.
 24. The method of claim 22wherein the audio file is incorporated as content in a memo type ofvoice page.
 25. The method of claim 22 wherein the audio file isincorporated as a message associated with a link.
 26. The method ofclaim 22 wherein the audio file is incorporated as a message to beplayed upon selection of an option to a link.
 27. The method of claim 22wherein the audio file is incorporated as a question in a voice page.28. The method of claim 22 wherein the sound file is transferred in apredetermined format.
 29. The method of claim 22 wherein the sound fileis transferred in a first format different from a predetermined format;and wherein the voice page server system converts the sound file to thepredetermined format.
 30. A method for enabling content providers tocreate voice pages with audio files included for use in a network forvoice page delivery through which subscribers request a voice page and avoice page server system delivers the voice page audibly to thesubscriber, the method comprising the steps of: enabling a contentprovider to select a voice page in which an audio file is to beincluded; enabling the content provider to select an audio file to beincluded in the selected voice page; transferring the selected audiofile from the content provider system to a voice page server system forinclusion in the selected voice page by a voice page generation moduleat the voice page server system; and generating an XML-based voice pagefrom inputs received; and incorporating the audio file with tagsdesignated for audio output.